Fix Toilet and Faucet Leaks

While faucet leaks are quite obvious, toilet leaks are often silent. However, both leaky faucets and toilets can waste gallons of water per day. Follow the following plumbing advise to find out whether your toilet is leaking:  

• Add leak detector fluid, dye tablets or food colouring to the toilet tank.
• Leave the toilet for 30 minutes. If the toilet is leaking, the water in the toilet bowl will be coloured.

Leaking toilets and faucets should be fixed as soon as they are discovered

Low-Flow Faucet and Shower heads

Low flow faucets and shower heads release less water than regular faucets and shower heads. More specifically, a regular shower releases 9.5 litres of water per minute while a low flow shower head releases 7.6 litres per minutes. By following plumbing advise from a professional and accredited Perth plumber and installing a low flow shower head, you can save about 19 litres of water on every 10 minute shower.

Similarly, regular faucets release well over 9 litres per minutes while low flow faucets release about 5.5 litres per minute. Regular faucets can cause you to waste a lot of water even when you are performing simple tasks such as washing and rinsing dishes. The good news is that you can turn your regular faucet into a low-flow one by simply installing a low-flow aerator.

Low-Volume Toilets

Although most toilets designed in the mid 1990s only use 5.5 litres of water per flush, some homes stills have the older models which use 13 litres of water per flush. If your toilet isn’t one of the newer models, ask a plumber for professional plumbing advise. The plumber may ask you to purchase a low volume toilet as this will allow you to save up to
83 litres of water per year.

Shut-off nozzles for Hoses

Whether you are using your hand held hose to wash your car or water your lawn, it is necessary to have a shut-off nozzle on the hose. This allows you to quickly turn-off water when you are not using it without having to make several trips to and from the faucet. This can save you up to 150 gallons of water every time you wash your car. In addition to installing the nozzle, you should check your hoses and connectors regularly to ensure that they are not leaking.

Water-efficient bathtubs and sinks

Most homes could do with smaller bathtubs and sinks.  Studies show that taking a bath in a regular bathtub uses between 190 and 265 litres of water. Smaller bathtubs, on the other hand, fill up with less water but still give you enough water to enjoy a relaxing bath. With regard to your kitchen sink, you can switch to a smaller model that saves water but still has enough space for you to wash and rinse dishes.

By following the above green plumbing advise you can cut down your water consumption and bills significantly.