How to save water in the house - includes related articles - Sunset Drought Survival Guide for Home and Garden

Sunset, May, 1991

How to save water in the house Here's a look at conservation indoors, where half of a typical household's water is used. Toilets, discussed on the next two pages, consume most; next come showers and baths, then washing machines and dishwashers.

If you shower just a little differently, you can cut the water you use while showering by more than 50 percent. And you won't just save water; you'll also save the energy it takes to heat it. The following steps should significantly reduce your shower's water consumption. We also picture a water-conserving option for your kitchen sink.

Restrict the flow

The easiest step is to install a low-flow shower head, which reduces maximum flow to 3 to less than 1 1/2 gallons per minute, depending on head design and your water pressure (older fixtures shoot out water at a rate of 5 to 8 gallons per minute). Costs run $3 and up.

Low-flow heads are required on most new construction throughout the West, and many cities are making sure that less-efficient heads are replaced. In Los Angeles, if you sell your house, a licensed plumber or retrofitter must inspect it and certify that low-flow heads are in place. The city of San Jose sent the head shown at lower left in the photograph below to all of its residential water users.

We found the low-flow heads splash more and are slightly noiier than standard heads. Less expensive models deliver fine droplets that won't wet your body as quickly--and might even feel a little cool by the time they get down to your knees.

Don't let the water run

The second thing to consider is an on-off valve near the shower head. With one of these, you shower as you usually do but shut off the water while soaping up or shampooing. Valves are designed to dribble when closed, so water in the pipe stays at the selected temperature and doesn't blast you with a cold stream when you flick the water back on. These valves are built into many low-flow heads (make sure levers are shutoffs, not just spray adjustments).

Shutoff time is usually about half your shower; water savings are proportional.

Shutoff valves are also available for sinks. Though it seems easy enough to simply turn off the water as you're washing vegetables or dishes, an at-the-tap valve makes the task virtually effortless; you'll be much more apt to use it. Most are threaded so you can reconnect your old aerator.

Staying in hot water

We waste a lot of water waiting for it to warm up. Buckets by showers or sinks to catch the cold water will give you water for plants, pets, pasta. Some readers have shut off the water supply to their toilets; they use the fresh water caught from showers and tubs to manually refill the bowl and tank (use gray water only in the bowl). The flush action works as usual.

Cut the heating-up time by insulating hot-water pipes in crawl spaces or wherever they're accessible. You'll save energy, too, because--drought or no drought--heating water has no peak season; you need hot water year-round. On average, you'll use 15 to 20 gallons of heated water per person a day; almost a quarter of a home's energy bill goes to heating water.

Instant hot-water devices will give you 190[degrees] to 200[degrees] water on demand. These compact sink-side spigots place a small heating unit in the cupboard under the sink. They tie into existing plumbing with a 1/4-inch copper line (like a refrigerator's ice maker), and typically plug right into a 110-volt circuit (under most sinks for the disposal; the switched duplex receptacle can be split so the heater plug is always "hot").

Inside the average house, even properly functioning toilets rank as the number one water users. Standard toilets, using 3 1/2 to 7 or more gallons per flush, consume more than any other appliance; they account for 35 percent or more of your daily indoor usage.

If your toilet leaks imperceptibly, it could waste 40 or more gallons each day.

How to detect and fix

running toilet

Even if you can't see or hear any water running, take a few minutes to check your toilet to be sure. All you need to do is remove the tank lid and add 12 drops or so of colored dye. (Blue food coloring will work, or ask your water company for dye tablets.) Then wait 5 minutes to see if the dye flows into the bowl.

If it does, either the float ball is riding too high, letting water overfill the tank and spill down the overflow tube into the bowl; or the chain linkage between the flush handle and the stopper at tank bottom is kinked or fouled, preventing the stopper from sealing the flush valve; or the stopper or valve seat is worn and closing improperly.

To find the exact problem, first lift up on the float arm. If the water flow stops (you should be able to hear the change), try bending the arm so the float ball is slightly lower. Now when the tank fills, the float ball should shut off the inlet valve sooner and with more force.

Also make sure the float arm is screwed tightly into the ball cock assembly (which joins to the inlet pipe), and check the chain linkage to be sure it's not interfering with the full closure of the flush valve. If adjusting the float arm stops the leak, simply replace the toilet tank's lid. If the float is not "floating" (it could be cracked and waterlogged), replace it with a new one.