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Water Conservation Tips: Tips on Water Conservation and How it relates to your Plumbing System

1. Water pressure in your home above 60 pounds per square inch is harmful to your plumbing system and will cause excessive water usage. Contact your local water authority to find out what the water pressure is on your street. If it exceeds 60 pounds, consider installing a pressure reducing valve that will limit the water pressure within your home.
   
   
2. Make sure everyone in the house knows where the main water valve cutoff is in case of a plumbing emergency that would require the water be shutoff in certain areas or even the whole house.
   
   
3. Don't use excessive amounts of detergents, bleach or chemicals that may kill the natural bacteria in your septic system.
   
   
4. When washing dishes by hand, don't let the water run while rinsing. Fill one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water.
   
   
5. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents.
   
   
6. Listen for dripping faucets and toilets that flush themselves. Fixing a leak can save 500 gallons each month.
   
   
7. Minimize evaporation by watering during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter.
   
   
8. Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.
   
   
9. To prevent excessive watering of your lawn in the summertime, purchase an inexpensive spring-loaded timer which attaches directly to your outside faucet. This will prevent over watering in case you forget to shut off the sprinkler.
   
   
   
10. Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month.
    
    
11. If you believe your toilet is about to overflow, quickly remove the tank lid, reach down and push the flush valve closed. It covers the tennis ball-sized opening in the bottom of the tank. That keeps the bowl from overflowing while you clear the obstruction.
    
    
12. To check if your toilet tank is leaking - remove the tank lid, add 10-12 drops of food coloring to the water in the tank. Check the bowl in ten or fifteen minutes. If you see the food color, the flapper valve is most likely leaking and would need to be replaced. This should be done every few years. Most toilet tank leaks are virtually silent and can cost you money if you don't know that they are going on.
    
    
13. Install covers on pools and spas and check for leaks around your pumps.
    
    
14. Check your water meter periodically. If no water is running in the house, all dials on the meter should be stable. A movement in one of the dials may indicate a water leak, probably in a toilet. This could cost you dearly over time.
    
    
15. To save water and time, consider washing your face or brushing your teeth while in the shower.
    
    
16. When replacing plumbing fixtures, consider the long term savings by purchasing a high efficiency water heater, or a low water consumption fixture.
    
    
17. Toilets consume more than 40% of your total water usage. Installation of a new toilet flapper and fill valve will keep your toilet running efficiently.
    
    
18. Conserve energy by checking the temperature setting on your water heater. It should not be above 120 degrees Fahrenheit or medium setting on older models.
    
    
19. Replacing an old shower head can save up to 7.5 gallons of water per minute without sacrificing full spray action at low or high water pressures.
    
    
20. Don't put up with any slowly dripping faucets. A slow drip can waste as much as 150 gallons of water each day, or 4,500 gallons per month and will add to the water bill.
    
    
21. Choose new water-saving appliances, like washing machines that save up to 20 gallons per load.
    
    
22. Stop valves are the cutoff valves near each toilet and faucet. Familiarize yourself with their location, so that if a major problem develops you can turn the water off there instead of at the main to prevent serious water damage to your home.
    
    
23. Make sure that all your stop valves work. Open and close all your valves once a year. This will ensure that they will work when you need them to. Otherwise they may seize up over time and when you have an emergency and need to close one of them it won't work.
    
    
24. When you clean your fish tank, use the water you've drained on your plants. The water is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, providing you with a free and effective fertilizer.
    
    
25. A water heaters life can be extended by periodically draining a gallon or two of water once or twice a year from the drain valve at the bottom of the heater will allow some of the sediment to clear.
    
    
26. Stopped drains are sometimes trickier than we thought. Use drain cleaners as a last resort, because they often don't work, and if they don't you will have to deal with a sink full of caustic and hazardous liquid. Always use a plunger first, and if that does not work than try a drain snake or auger. If neither of those options help - you can always call Anytyme Plumbing. Hint: It's good to always let the plumber know if you put drain cleaner down the drain before he goes to work.
    
    
27. Laundry valves can cause some water damage if a hose does happen to break. These valves should be closed when not in use in case of a hose break.
    
    
28. When buying fixtures be sure replacement parts will be readily available to help assist you if and when you do have a fixture malfunction or break.