Summer is here and that means hotter temperatures, longer days, and increased water bills for homeowners. For many homeowners, summer means more showers, more frequently watering the lawn, and overuse of various plumbing systems. Every drop wasted isn’t just bad for the planet — it’s bad for your wallet too. The good thing is there are many easy plumbing tips that can help cut water waste this summer and help you save on your water bill.
Are Water Bills Higher in the Summer?
During periods of increased temperatures and extended daylight hours, household water consumption typically rises due to activities such as showering, swimming pool maintenance, and lawn irrigation.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that average daily water usage can escalate from approximately 320 gallons to as much as 1,000 gallons for a family household, potentially tripling utility costs, particularly for properties with extensive lawns or irrigation systems. Fortunately, strategic conservation measures, including leak repair, installation of efficient fixtures, and implementation of smart irrigation technologies, can mitigate this surge and prevent significant increases in summer utility expenses.
With a little knowledge, you can save gallons of water, save a few bucks, and even help preserve our natural resources. So let’s get into it and explain why it matters.
Why Is Water Conservation Important?
A dripping faucet can waste over 3,000 gallons of water a year.
Water conservation is an important issue. There is a finite amount of fresh water on Earth. While there is plenty of water on Earth, only about 2.5% of it is freshwater (less than 1% of that is suitable for drinking!).
There is more than just the planet to worry about though. A single drop from a faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons (if the faucet drips once every second) in a year! That’s like leaving a garden hose running for two weeks straight. When it really comes down to it, that can have a pretty big impact on your water bill. A leak not only wastes water, but it can also mean bigger plumbing issues like cracked pipes, undetected leaks, or water-damaged property, and homes.
Repair Leaks
Now let’s address the worst offender for waste and increased water bills – leaks! They are one of the biggest wasteful errors you can make. A dripping faucet, fittingly, wasting even just a drop every second may potentially waste over 20 gallons per day, which adds up to a significant environmental impact every day, week, and month. Even worse, many leaks can go unnoticed or hidden from view for months.
When it comes to a leak there are a few ways to detect a leak, which we’ll go over below, or you can skip it and contact a professional to perform a leak test and ensure accuracy!
Here is a really simple way to test for leaks: check your water meter while no water is being used. If the meter is still moving when you check it, then there is likely a leak somewhere in your system.
Most frequent are drips from faucets, leaks from pipes under sinks, or leaks from toilets.
Toilets can be particularly clever. A silent leak in the toilet can waste 200 gallons every day – that’s enough water to fill a bathtub for a couple of baths. An easy way to do a leak test on your toilet is to put two or three drops of food coloring in the tank and wait about 15 minutes without flushing. If you see the color show up in the bowl of the toilet you have a leak that must be fixed.
If you can catch these problems early, you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. If everything above sounds overwhelming, or you do not know where to start, a quick inspection by a licensed plumber can be one of the best calls you make.
Upgrading Fixtures
Old plumbing fixtures can waste a lot of water. If your home has not been updated with plumbing fixtures in the last ten years, it is worth updating. You can save water with new, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, and they perform better than ever. For example, a low-flow showerhead. A family of four could save about 8,000 gallons of water on average in one year if they switch to low-flow showerheads and keep everything else constant.
Modern dual-flush toilets use as little as 1.28 gallons per flush, compared to older models that could use up to 7 gallons per flush. Faucet aerators may not seem very impactful; however they can reduce flow rate a lot without reducing flow force.
When you buy new water fixtures look for the EPA WaterSense label. This is very helpful at identifying water fixtures that use less water and are affordable. It means that when you are buying the new low-flow or water-efficient fixtures you are also shopping for plumbing fixtures when the adapted equivalence of energy-efficient appliances, so that saves you money every month on a utility bill too.
Outdoor Watering Tips in Summer
When it comes to outdoor watering, you may find that this is the area that carries the most waste. Summer is the main season for lawn care and gardening, but it has so much waste that goes into it.
As a rule of thumb, water in the early morning or the late evening. Watering at the hottest part of the day invites evaporation; therefore, you are watering if it doesn’t make it to the plants. A watering system that you should use is a drip irrigation system. Sprinklers throw water randomly across the yard, while drip irrigation systems use less water because they drip it exactly where the plant needs it: at the roots. A drip irrigation system is game changing. Drip systems give the water exactly where it needs to be: at the roots of the plants, instead of sprinklers spraying water everywhere.
Another trick is to put plants together (in the ground or in containers) that have the same water needs called hydrozoning, which can avoid overwatering for all the plants that need water, and not under watering, for the plants that don’t need too much water. Mulching helps: moisture in the soil is retained, which should help reduce how often you water.
Outdoor Plumbing
Water can leak from garden hoses, spigots, or irrigation systems if they are not used for long periods of time. Also, if they freeze up in the winter, they may crack or loosen connections, again likely increasing the chances that they will leak as soon as you turn them on in the summer. Even a small leak in a garden hose, through the duration of a normal summer, can waste hundreds of gallons of water.
If you are using outside water to irrigate from, you may want to consider adding some sort of back flow prevention device, especially if your irrigation system is outdated. Outdated irrigation systems do not always perform as expected and while the chances are small of your drinking supply being contaminated by brown water from your lawn, they still exist. It is a small but easy precaution to take to protect your plumbing in your hous
The Role of Smart Plumbing Technology
We live in a world that is becoming more and more technologically advanced. Although smart devices can be excessive, there are times when technology can be insightful. Remember, durable products that utilize smart technology can also help with water conservation.
Smart leak detectors will tell you if a leak is detected, – in real-time, saving water and just as importantly, mitigation of damage from repairs before leaks become a big deal. For example, a smart water leak detector sends alerts directly to your smartphone, so you are aware, at the very moment a leak is detected, and you can resolve it without delay. Water use monitors provide a report on your water use for the month, tell you how your use compares to average water use, and more importantly, identify areas in which water waste can be improved (i.e. reduce). Water use monitors identify unexpected spikes in usage as well as where the waste is happening, whether it is inefficient appliances or hidden leaks.
The automatic shut-off valve is the safety net for a plumbing system. If your pipe bursts or an appliance leaks, an auto shut-off valve will turn the water off automatically limiting possible damage.
The Greywater Solution
If you are really trying to conserve water, you may want to look into a greywater system. Greywater is water that has already been used from a sink, shower or washing machine.It doesn’t have to go straight down the drain when it can be reused for flushing your toilet or used in your garden outside.
You can start with just about anything! For instance, you could easily greywater from your laundry to your garden with a simple greywater system. You just want to ensure it goes through a brief filtration system, removing lint and other undesirable material, before you dump it into your garden. You will also want to use a biodegradable laundry detergent that has low sodium, because most chemicals are detrimental to plant life.
If you are thinking about a greywater system ensure you are following local regulations because they differ greatly from municipality to municipality and state to state. Greywater is good for the environment, and it saves you money, so it’s a good situation all around.
Seasonal Maintenance
A flooded basement can happen if a sump pump overflows
Summer storms can have a negative influence on any plumbing in your home and one of the systems that can be overlooked is the sump pump. If you have a basement, a working sump pump is important to prevent flooding. You can test the sump pump by filling the pit with water to ensure that it is working. It is also good practice to ensure that the pit is clear of debris and that you install a battery backup in the event the power goes out. Most flooding in basements is due to a failed sump pump and summer storms can surely raise the risk of failure, which is why it is important to test it at least once every summer.
It is also wise to bring in a licensed plumbing contractor to assess your plumbing systems as part of a summer kick-off checklist. A plumber can inspect your sewer lines, areas of water pressure, and leads and backflow systems. Nobody wants to be doing expensive repairs on plumbing later if you can spot a problem before it starts, so don’t wait for the storm to take action!
Water Conserving Habits
There are some great plumbing upgrades and smart devices to explore, but just like you can’t rely on plumbing upgrades and smart devices automatically provide the solution to better water usage, you will only get so far unless you change your habits. The great news is that changing habits is a lot better than an expensive plumbing upgrade or smart device, plus a small change in habit can have a significant impact.
For example: turning the tap off when brushing your teeth can save up to 8 gallons of water in a day. Only run your washer or dishwasher when you have a full load of laundry or dishes. Showering shorter around five minutes will use substantially less water and you can do it comfortably. Your small changes won’t look like much but the water savings will accumulate over time.
Saving Water In Summer
Conclusion
There are several ways to save water, including fixing leaks, changing fixtures, using smart technology, and simply changing habits. These plumbing tips to reduce water waste this summer are just a few easy, practical and efficient measures.
Every drop counts, especially in the summer heat, so why not start today? Save water, save money and help preserve one of our world’s most or perhaps, the most precious resource.
