Water use increases in summer. It’s hard to avoid. But there are ways you can cut down on your household water consumption during the summer and not only lower your utility bills but also benefit the environment.
Below, we’ve listed several of the best tips for summer water conservation. Some of these are tips you can put into practice yourself. Others require professional plumbing service in Frederick, MD. You can depend on our expert plumbers to help you out so you can get those water bills under control.
Fix or replace an old, leaky toilet
Toilets account for the most amount of freshwater use inside a home. An old toilet can be a huge source of wasted water, both because it uses much more water than modern toilets and because of leaks. If you have a toilet that’s twenty years old or more, we strongly recommend calling us to replace it. Your old toilet may use six gallons per flush, while new ones use less than two gallons. That will add up to immense savings.
Schedule professional leak detection
If you look at your water usage on monthly bills and wonder how your family could be using so many gallons, the problem might be hidden leaks. Many homes have pipe leaks that can remain hidden for months. Arrange for routine leak detection every few years to allow professionals to spot these problems and fix them. If you haven’t had leak detection done and you’ve got extremely high water bills, schedule this vital service with our team.
Use that dishwasher—but only when full
Handwashing dishes uses more water than running them through a dishwasher—especially if the dishwasher is a high-efficiency unit. It can take twenty-seven gallons of water to handwash a load of dishes that only requires around three gallons of water if run through an ENERGY STAR-labeled dishwasher. However, you need to run the dishwasher when it’s full to receive the full benefit of its water-conserving abilities.
Don’t use the toilet as a trash receptacle
We’re back to the toilet, but it’s where a lot of the water goes! Only flush human waste and toilet paper down the toilet. If you’re routinely flushing the toilet to get rid of standard trash, that’s plenty of water going to waste. That trash can also cause problems for the drains and the sewer line, so you’ll benefit twice from keeping actual trash out of the toilet.
Take shorter showers
You knew we were going to get to this one, because it’s on every list of water-saving ideas. But we have to bring it up because people still easily fall into the trap of prolonging showers. Try to limit your shower to five minutes, and use a timer if it helps.
Install water-saving fixtures
Call our plumbers and ask about updating your house with the latest in water-saving fixtures, like low-flow showerheads and faucets. You’ll still get the same quality of water flow, but you’ll cut out a significant amount of waste.
At Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing, we pledge to exceed expectations at every turn! Call us for the best plumbing assistance in Washington D.C., Montgomery and Frederick Counties.