Water Saving Tips
Checking for Leaks
A leaking toilet can be extremely
wasteful, losing up to a litre an hour. If
this is left unchecked for a year this will
waste 60,000L of water. And you might not
even be aware.
Did you know that one dripping tap can waste
more then 2,000 litres a month?
When you consider this, it’s easy to see why
regularly checking for leaks and repairing
them makes such good sense. And the great
news is it’s easy to check for leaks using
your water meter.
How do I check for leaks using my water
meter?
Before you go to bed, check your water meter
reading and write it down somewhere safe.
You’ll also need to make sure no-one in your
household uses any water during the night.
The following morning, before anyone starts
using water, go and check you meter again.
Write this new figure down next to the
figure from the night before and compare
them. If the morning figure is higher, you
have a water leak that needs to be traced
and fixed.
Where is my water meter?
Your water meter is usually just inside the
front boundary of your property. You’ll
recognise it as a low metal pipe structure
with a tap handle at one end and a meter
dial in the middle.
How can I tell if my toilet is leaking?
An easy way to check if your toilet is
slowly leaking is to add a few drops of food
colouring to your toilet cistern. Don’t
flush the toilet for at least one hour. If
colouring shows up in the toilet bowl after
an hour, you’ve got a leak.
Quick Tips for saving water in the home.
Every day, there are many simple little
things we can do around the house to save
water, money and help the environment.
Take a look through the tips below for some
clever shortcuts to savings.
-
Checking for leaks
in taps, pipes and dishwasher hoses is
an easy way to reduce water wastage.
Remember, one leaking tap can waste more
than 2,000 litres a month.
-
The most water
efficient methods for cooking vegetables
are microwaving, steaming or using a
pressure cooker. You can also cut down
on water loss by using tight lids on
pots and simmering instead of boiling
rapidly.
-
Installing water
efficient taps or tap aerators is a
great, inexpensive way to cut your water
usage without evening noticing
-
Put the plug in
the sink when washing your hands instead
of holding them under running water.
-
Thaw frozen foods
before you need them or use the
microwave instead of placing them under
running water.
-
Prevent taps from
leaking by turning taps off lightly and
replace washers as soon as they begin to
leak.
-
Automatic
dishwashers can use up to 40 litres of
water per load. By using a dishwasher
with at least a 3 star AAA rating, you
can get this figure down to 18 litres
per load and still get the kind of
sparkling clean dishes you’re used to.
-
It’s best to wait
until you have a full load in your
dishwasher before using it. This saves
water and energy, and reduces the amount
of detergents entering the sewerage
system.
-
Keep a container
of water in the fridge so that you won’t
need to run the water down the sink
until its cool enough to drink.
-
Washing fruit and
veggies in a half-filled sink instead of
under running water is a great way to
cut back on water wastage.
-
Rinsing your
dishes in a plugged sink rather than
under a running tap saves water and is
just as easy and effective.
-
Use a sink
strainer
-
Try to use
phosphate free, eco-friendly detergents
and cleaning products, there’s a great
range to choose from these days and
they’re much better for our environment.
-
Remember to
regularly clean the lint filter on your
washing machine
-
Most washing
machines have a load adjustment button
or dial, so try to set this to match the
amount of washing you’re doing. If your
machine doesn’t have a load adjustment
function, try to wait until you have
enough washing for a full load.
-
Installing one of
the latest 3 star/AAA rating shower
heads can give you a great shower and
save you around 10 litres of water a
minute. They also save you energy costs,
as you’ll use less hot water.
-
To rinse your
razor, run a little water into a plugged
sink. Rinsing your razor under a running
tap wastes lots of water.
-
There’s no need to
leave the tap running while you brush
your teeth. Simply wet your toothbrush
before you begin and use a glass of
water to rinse your mouth.
|