Water Conservation

If you are leaving home for more than a day or two, please turn your water off at your home's shutoff valve or at the water meter. If a leak occurs while you are away, not only will you have a costly water bill, but you could also have water damage to your home.

Water pressure in your home above 60 pounds per square inch can be harmful to your plumbing system and may cause excessive water usage. If your pressure exceeds 60 pounds, consider installing a pressure reducing valve that will limit the water pressure within your home.

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 to your home.

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.

Listen for dripping faucets and toilets that run water when not being used. A slow drip can waste as much as 150 gallons of water each day, or 4,500 gallons per month which adds a lot of money to your water bill.

Toilets consume more than 40% of your total water usage. To check if your toilet tank is leaking - remove the tank lid and 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 a lot of money if you don't know that they are leaking.

Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month.

Minimize evaporation by watering your lawn during the early morning hours, when temperatures are cooler and winds are lighter.

Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.

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.

Install covers on pools and spas and check for leaks around your pumps.

When replacing plumbing fixtures, consider the long term savings by purchasing a high efficiency water heater or a low water consumption fixture. Choosing a new water-saving washing machine can save up to 20 gallons of water per load.

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.

Make sure that all the shut-off valves in your home work. Open and close all your valves twice a year. This will ensure that they will work when you need them to.

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.

A water heater's life can be extended by draining a gallon or two of water, once or twice a year, from the drain valve at the bottom of the heater. This will allow some of the sediment to be removed from the water heater.