Water Conservation Can Save You Money!

The average Pennsylvanian uses about 62 gallons of water in their home each day. The average American home LOSES about 9½ gallons of water per person EVERY DAY due to leaks. Most of these leaks are from toilet tanks. Also, a faucet that drips once every second wastes about 10 gallons in one day! This costs you money!

Ways To Save Water

1. Your home has a water meter. You can easily check for leaks by shutting off all faucets and appliances. If your meter continues to turn, you have a leak. Or, at the end of the day read the meter and record the reading. In the morning, before any water is used, take another reading. Subtract the first reading from the second to find out how much water you leaked during the night. If you think you have a leak, call a plumber.
2. You can determine if a toilet is leaking by putting food coloring, or dye strips that the Water Dept. will give you with your packet, in the toilet tank. If after 15 minutes the color appears in the toilet bowl, you have a leak and should repair it.
3. Get a barrel or 55-gallon drum and put it under your rain gutter. Use this water for watering lawns and plants, and washing vehicles. A typical ½-inch diameter garden hose uses about 5 gallons per minute.
4. Instead of washing vehicles at home, go to a car wash that recycles its water.
5. The amount of water an appliance uses is generally related to the year it was manufactured. When you replace appliances such as dishwashers, clothes washers, showerheads and faucets, make sure you get efficient water-saver fixtures.
6. In the shower, rinse yourself and turn off the water while you wash and shampoo, then turn it on again for your final rinse. Easy savings! The average shower uses about 2.5 gallons per minute. Don't run the water while you brush your teeth. Fix drips promptly.
7. You don't HAVE to flush your toilet every time you use it. With every flush you use about 1.6 gallons, and the average person flushes 5 times per day. Think about it.
8. Schedule watering after sunset and before 8 am. Also, use slow-drip irrigators instead of sprinklers. Use mulch around outdoor plants to hold in moisture. Use a hoze nozzle you can shut off or turn to fine spray. When finished, turn off hose at the house to avoid leaks. Check hoses and connectors for leaks, replace if leaking.
9. Don't overfill pools. This helps reduce splashing and spilling. Use a pool cover to slow evaporation. Make sure walls, filtration systems and inlets are in good repair.
10. Check laundry faucets and hoses for leaks. Keep in good repair. Match water level to the size of the load. If there is no selector, do only large loads. Pre-soak heavily soiled items, use detergent sparingly.
11. Instead of running water at the tap to get it cold, keep a bottle of water in the fridge. Check connections on your dishwasher for leaks. If you wash dishes by hand, fill a wash basin and rinse basin, don't run water continuously. Try a faucet aerator to reduce amount of water used.

Honey Brook is blessed with an abundance of water, and we have an efficient and reasonably priced system. There have been several articles in the paper recently about small systems which have sold out to large companies and have seen their rates triple and quadruple! We are very fortunate - let's conserve our wonderful water. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 610-273-7830.