Control water consumption

Plumber’s tips on controlling water consumption during summer months. (Photo Credits)

Summer can be a challenging time to bring down water consumption, given the heat and temperature that makes people use water all the more. The garden needs more tending, the children tend to gravitate towards water activities like swimming, or even playing with the sprinkler outside, and people shower or use the bath tubs more.

Fortunately there are ways to control or even bring down water consumption even in the unbelievably hot summer months.

The website Earth Easy came up with tips for homeowners who may not want to receive water bill shock. Making use of gravel in the garden or the lawn is one of the tips they have mentioned in their writeup. Plumbing Association of San Diego

“Exposed dirt gets parched after one sunny day, and that baking sun also destroys all the helpful soil microorganisms which support your plants. Spreading gravel in between shrubs and perennial plants not only gives your landscape a stylish beauty, it also allows your soil to stay moist and alive between waterings. You may find you’re able to cut your waterings in half with gravel landscaping, or even convert portions of thirsty grass to a low-maintenance Zen-inspired rock garden accented by well-chosen drought-tolerant trees or shrubs. When you do water your lawn or garden, ditch the sprinkler for hand-watering or soaker-hoses, and consider saving hundreds of gallons per year by collecting your own rainwater.”

Read the rest of the write-up here.

Eco-friendly and pocket-friendly too

News 5 Cleveland also mentioned some ways to lower water consumption, and thereby lower water bills. In the news article that they published they mentioned that soaring rates may be caused by increasing sewer costs plus the added cost of replacing parts of the water delivery system like the water mains and pipes. A/C And HVAC

“The biggest culprit during the summer is your yard. Rager said a garden hose or sprinkler runs three gallons per minute: That’s 180 gallons per hour. But he said many people over-water, using hundreds of gallons more than their lawn really needs. His advice: (1) Don’t water more than one inch per week, measured in a tuna can or Solo cup. (2) Never water in the heat of the afternoon: The sun will evaporate almost 30 percent of what comes out of a sprinkler before it even hits the ground. (3) For watering plants, consider buying a rain barrel to capture runoff from your roof. They typically hold 50 to 70 gallons of free water. (4) Around shrubs, Rager suggested laying down a rock garden to hold water.”

The rest of their advice can be found here.

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The Penny Hoarder meantime shared ways to lower water bills even without altering the household’s consumption habits. Testing the toilet for leaks is one of the ways they tackled in their write-up.

“If you’re flush (pun intended) with cash, you could choose to buy a dual flush toilet. Or you can simply adjust your toilet to help you save money. Put your toilet to the test: Food coloring in the top of the basin should not leak to the bowl without a flush. If it does, you probably need a new fill valve. They’re cheap and easy to change. While you’re there, adjust the float to use less water. The lower the float ball is in a full tank, the less water it uses. Depending on your toilet, you can adjust the screw at the top of the fill tube, screw in the float ball or change the clip lock setting. Set it as low as possible and work backwards until you can flush all waste with the smallest amount of water.”

The continuation of this write-up can be found here.

Lowering water consumption through leak checks and general reduction of usage sould be the most helpful ways to lower utility bills.