Celebrate World Water Day with Special Appliances & Fixtures

The United Nations’ World Water Day — on March 22 — calls attention to the importance of conserving water and keeping it clean wherever you live. We pay water bills for drinkable and usable water that is treated and purified for our safety in cities and rural areas. The world’s water supply is finite. According to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, the Earth has 3% of fresh water and only 0.5% of that is readily available for consumption; it is for these reasons that everyone should conserve water every day, regardless of where they are located in the world.

You can save on your water costs and help the environment with special water-efficient appliances. Priority Plumbing & Drains has several suggestions for water conservation, so Ontario can continue to be a beautiful province rich in natural resources with abundant rain and snow.

Faucets

Installing a simple faucet aerator on your kitchen and bathroom sinks will save water. An aerator is a little mesh screen placed over the faucet tip, and it’s found at most hardware and home improvement stores for a few dollars. Homeowners can install an aerator themselves because it’s simple and doesn’t take up too much time.

Low-flow faucets that save about 20% of your water can also be purchased at home improvement stores. These attractive faucets are available in many styles, including single-lever models. They limit the flow to just over two gallons or 7.57 litres per minute.

Have a leaky faucet? Get it fixed as soon as you can, because six drops per minute equates to 1,200 litres of water in a year. Picture seven bathtubs of water — that is quite a lot of money down the drain. For both the environment and your wallet’s sake, don’t ignore those drip, drip, drips.

People waste a lot of water when they turn on the tap waiting for hot water. For a more efficient approach, opt for a hot water dispenser. The temperature can usually be adjusted, and it will always deliver hot water immediately. There are also models that offer both hot and cold water for added convenience.

When it comes to bath time, there is the ongoing debate about whether showers are better for water conservation than baths; however, if you have a 9.5 L/min shower head and you take an eight-minute shower, you will have used 76 litres of water. You can switch to a flat shower head — even for your bathroom sink — that distributes water evenly, and keep your showers as short as possible.

Appliances

Did you know that 30% of each person’s household water consumption is used to flush the toilet? Modern toilets now come with high-efficiency or dual-flush mechanisms that save up to 65% of water. The dual-flush mechanism gives you the option of using more water for solids, allowing you to control the quantity of water used.

Many new dishwashers and washing machines come with various timing programs. It’s best to run these machines only when you have a full load of dirty dishes or laundry. To conserve the most water, set the timer for a quick wash and air-dry the dishes instead. You can apply this same concept to your washing machine: use the short wash cycle for clothing whenever possible and dry your clothes on a rack to save energy.

You can also install an on-demand water heater that warms the water only when you need it, eliminating the need for a full hot water tank that is constantly heated by a gas flame or electricity.

Water Conservation Around Your Property

Don’t forget that you can expand your water conservation efforts to the rest of your property by considering the installation of an irrigation system, rain barrels, and other smart devices.

As you go about your daily routine, stop a minute and remember that the average Canadian in 2016 used 329 litres of water each day, according to Global News. Consider what you can do differently in your household to save water. Our team will be happy to assist you.