Springtime is the perfect time to get serious about living efficiently. Old, poorly maintained plumbing isn’t just hard on your wallet when the water bill comes in, it can be a huge waste of water. This is especially important during the hot summer months when rain is scarce.
Water conservation is a serious issue all over the world. Even in developed countries like the United States, Canada and most of Europe, 10 million people go without clean water. Here in San Antonio, watering schedules, due to drought, are often enforced to help conserve what water we have in the Edwards Aquifer. In an effort to reduce needless water waste, high-efficiency or “Low-Flow” toilets have made a big comeback. Due to early design setbacks, a lot of work had to go into rebranding the water-efficient toilet. With the help of free toilets and past rebate programs from SAWS, more homes (built in 1992 or earlier) have now installed toilets that use less than half the amount of water per flush that standard toilets use.
Saving money on your water bill is easy when you stop flushing it away. The average toilet uses anywhere from 3.6 to seven gallons per flush. When you have your local plumbing company install a new high-efficiency toilet, you can cut your water usage down to 1.3 gallons with each flush. New, high-efficiency toilets easily out perform the dreaded earlier models, which left a little too much behind. So, forget the low-flow toilets of the past and talk to your plumber about making the smart switch to high-efficiency toilets in your home.
A standard toilet’s flush isn’t the only way a commode can run up your water bill. If your toilet leaks or runs long after you flush, you could be wasting two gallons every minute that it persists. The problem could be something as simple as a replacing or freeing an old or snagged flapper. It could also require the knowledge and experience of a professional. The sooner you catch a running toilet (haha!) the less money and water you’ll waste. For more water saving tips and information on high-efficiency toilets, give your local plumber a call. When it comes to saving water, proper plumbing maintenance makes it easy to do your part.
