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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Conserving water in your home may be easier than you think, and small changes in your water use at home can make a big impact for our environment. Every family can make simple changes in their lifestyles that can save hundreds of gallons of water per week and, in the process, also lower utility bills. So, since this sounds like a win-win situation for everyone, here are Ed's Simple Water-Saving Tips we can all try at home:
- Slightly cut shower times. This is an easy one that every member in the family can try. New showerheads use up to 2.5 gallons per minute. (If you have an old water-guzzling showerhead, you need to change it to meet the new codes.) If everyone in a family of four cuts just one minute off their daily showers, it can save at least an average of 10 gallons of water per day with no noticeable difference in lifestyle. This will also save on energy bill: Less hot water needs to be generated. It will also leave a little extra hot water for the last person taking a shower. In my home, I'm the one who ends up with the cold shower!
- Change all your faucet aerators. Another easy one, and no one will know the difference. At the end of most faucets is a little round fitting with a screen called an aerator. In most cases they will simply screw off the spout, allowing you to clean them out or, as in this case, replace the standard faucet aerator with one of the new water-saving aerators that are now available. Water-saving aerators use an average of 1.5 gallons per minute; that's about a 30 percent savings over standard 2-1/2-gallon-per-minute aerators. Again, a big savings in water consumption without doing a lot of work!
- Touchless faucets. Speaking of faucets, another great idea is installing touchless faucets in places like a child's bathroom. We have all seen the automatic faucets in public restrooms, but now they are making their way into many private homes because they make a lot of sense. Touchless bathroom faucets use only the water that is needed; they will not run unless a hand or a toothbrush is under the spout. This will not only prevent children from leaving the faucet on when they run out of the bathroom, it will also save hundreds of gallons of water that would normally just run down the drain. This option can be a little pricey, but well worth it!
- Finally, install a "HET." HET stands for "high-efficiency toilet." Most new toilets flush with 1.6 gallons of water; older toilets use a lot more than that. HETs flush with 1.3 gallons of water — or less. This scares some people, because they feel less water will give a less powerful flush. However, new HETs that carry the EPA Water Sense label have been tested and certified to deliver a strong flush with less water. This will help guide the consumer as to the best toilets to purchase. Cutting your toilet flushing water by installing a HET can save you 2,000 to 5,000 gallons of water per year, per toilet! This is an incredible saving, and again, it will not drastically change your lifestyle.
There you have it: Ed's Simple Water-Saving Tips that will also save the lifestyle that you and your family have come to enjoy. If every person who reads this column does just one of the above, the overall water savings for our environment will be incredible, and we can all say we did our part to help save our precious water.
I usually end this column with a little joke, but this is no joke. Nobody is inventing any new water. We need to save what we have left, or sooner or later we may run out of our running water!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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