No one likes the shock of opening up a water bill in the mail and seeing numbers that just don’t add up.
Or worse, seeing numbers that may make sense but aren’t exactly welcome news for your wallet!
Lucky for you, the latest catch of the day at Salmon Plumbing includes ten top tips for water conservation and water bill reduction.
- Use your dishwasher to get the job done.
Handwashing uses 3 times more water than a machine. To save water with a dishwasher, make sure your system has a WELS rating of at least 4.5 as this uses only 15L of water per cycle.
- Ditch the garbage disposal.
In-sink garbage disposal systems don’t just ramp up your water usage, they also overload your septic tank or sewage system, which can lead to some sudden and nasty surprises.
- Check your taps, toilets, hot water system and pipes for water leaks.
One small leak can waste up to 9,000L of water in a year. That’s a lot of Sunday brunches, movie tickets or morning coffees!
- Stop rinsing fruit and veggies with running water.
This uses way more water than necessary. Instead, try filling up the sink or a bowl with warm water and washing your produce there.
- Switch to a low-flow showerhead.
Most showerheads use 2.5 gallons of water a minute, a low flow showerhead will use 2 gallons or less. When used right, a low-flow showerhead can save as much as 20L of water!
- Don’t use toilets in your homes like rubbish bins.
It’s not just personal hygiene products that shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet – cigarette butts, tissues, and other trash are all spending your money every time they’re flushed.
- Consider investing in a dual flush toilet.
This kind of toilet allows full flush for solid waste and half flush for liquid waste – meaning you can save up to 70% more water when you go number 1 and reduce your next water bill.
- Cut down to one load of laundry per week.
Washing your laundry only once a week can save up to 120L of water, and if you opt to handwash your delicates then you can save even more!
- Make sure you use a bucket when washing your car.
Using a running hose to wash your car can waste up to 200L of water. By using a bucket instead and only a hose for rinsing, you can cut that amount by about 50%.
- Stop hosing down sidewalks, footpaths and driveways.
We know dirt and leaves might crowd your walkways, but you can just as easily combat those with a leaf blower or a broom. Try to only use your hose on really grimy spots.
And the most important tip of all: make sure you’ve got an on-time, eFISHient plumber, like Salmon Plumbing to help you with water emergencies.
We’re always here and ready to help those in the Brisbane region with any plumbing needs, from burst pipes to hot water, and everything in between.
You can call us on 07 3862 2600 at any hour of the day, we’ll always pick up the phone.
To learn more home care tips for your plumbing system, click here to check out the Salmon Plumbing blog.
