xvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
Program Operations (WH-595)
Washington DC 20460
December 1980
FRD-14
Easy ways to
SAVE
WATER
MONEY &
ENERGY
at home
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NOTE
To order this publication, "Easy ways to SAVE WATER, MONEY & ENERGY
at home", FRD-14, write to:
Potomac River & Trails Council
1 2 South Market Street
Frederick, Maryland 21 701
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FRD-14
Easy ways to SAVE
WATER
MONEY &
ENERGY
at home
"Motorists who drive blocks out of their way
to save 4C a gallon at a cut-rate gas station
never dream they may be wasting 4$ a minute
in the shower
"By investing in five simple, water-conserving
devices, I've been saving $ 7 7 a month on water
and energy bills—for just one person!"
written by Edwin F Wesely, Jr.
illustrated by Billie Sturgeon
Julie Flaherty
Suzie Potter
^POTOMAC RIVER & TRAILS COUNCIL
1 2 South Market Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701
1980
produced by Grant #1901057010 from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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INDOOR WATER USE
75% in the Bathroom
20% in the Kitchen and Laundry
5% for Cooking and Drinking
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CONTENTS
Why save water 1
Household water
Where it comes from . . . 2
Where it goes . 3
How we use it 4
Water-saving program . . 5
Money earned by saving water 6
Hot water 7
Apartments and condominiums . 8
Private wells and septic systems 9
Ways to save water
In the bathroom 10
In the kitchen and laundry 1 7
Using the water meter . 18
Leaks are costly 1 9
Fixing leaks 20
Additional household tips 22
Outdoor water use and conservation 23
Figuring the cost of hot water . 24
Buying water-saving devices 26
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Special thanks to Louise Chesnut, Arlington, Va., and to David Wilborn,
Metropolitan Water Saving Co., Inc., 4701 Sangamore Road, Washington,
D.C. 2001 6. Their wide knowledge and interest in the subject of water saving
were especially helpful to the author. Thanks also to staff members at the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy
for reading and commenting on the text.
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WHY SAVE WATER
Saving water saves energy, but a lot of us miss the connection. Motorists
who drive blocks out of their way to save 4C a gallon at a cut-rate gas station
never dream they may be wasting 4C a minute in the shower.
By conserving hot water many households could save 50C-60C of energy a
day—almost what they'd save on gasoline by switching to a fuel efficient car.
Before I set out to test water-saving ideas
in my home, I hardly knew a "spray tap"
from the dog's flea collar.
But I soon learned thatthe "gas-guzzling"
car had its counterpart in my bathroom
— in the water-guzzling plumbing fixtures
I'd been using for years and still con-
sidered "normal"
Like many of us I was stuck with "high-
flow" plumbing appliances designed for
an era of cheap, and seemingly endless
water and energy.
I discovered, too, how easy it was to
purchase and install efficient water-
saving devices that fit the existing
plumbing.
Weeks of exploring faucets and toilet
tanks at home and around the neighbor-
hood— many of them wasting tons of
water—has me eager to report my
findings
A By investing in five simple, water-
conserving devices, I've been saving
S1 1 a month on water and energy
bills—for just one person1
$ The devices—that work more effec-
tively than the original plumbing—
took me 20 minutes to install, and
will save about 1 3,000 gallons of
water over the next year.
|| Applied nationally, household water-
conservation programs would save
billions of gallons of water a day,
and reduce the needto build high-
priced dams and sewage plants on
America's last free-flowing rivers.
I More fresh water—and less treated
sewage—m our streams mean im-
proved water quality for the people
and wildlife who depend on it.
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WHERE THE WATER COMES FROM
An American family of four—if they have
typical water-guzzling plumbing—uses
up to 360 gallons of highly treated water
a day (averaged over the year):
about 260 gallons in the home
and 50-1 00 gallons outside, for car
washing and to water lawns and
gardens.
If we followed this water as it is pumped
from a river or reservoir
into the tanks and filters of a treatment
plant .
and then into the miles of pipe that bring
it to our homes and apartments.
we'd soon appreciate the care and great
expense that go into supplying high
quality drinking water to our towns,
cities, and suburbs.
In May, 1 980, it took over 2,000,000
pounds of chemicals to purify river water
for 1.1 million customers of the Wash-
ington, D.C. Aqueduct system — including
1 56 tons of chlorine at S1 57 a ton.
Just the job of pumping water to munici-
pal customers in the United States comes
to 40,000 barrels of fuel oil a day-
worth 31 .2 million a day at 1 980 OPEC
prices.
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WHERE IT GOES
Once used and flushed down a sink or
toilet (sometimes to carry a single
tissue)
our household wastewater travels
through endless pipes to the complex
system of pumps, tanks, and chlormation
chambers of a sewage-treatment plant. .
where it is cleansed of most (though not
all) pollutants and released back into a
river
Since 1 972,when the Clean Water Act
made it national policy to clean up our
rivers, we've been spending about S4
billion a year to renovate old sewage
plants and build new ones.
Operating costs of all U.S. sewage plants
— paid by local ratepayers—ran close to
$1 3 million a day in 1 980.
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HOW WE USE IT
To pinpoint the ways we use household
water we've taken the family of four on
our cover, the Fred Longshowers, whose
home was built with typical "high-flow"
plumbing fixtures.
FIGURE HOW MANY GALLONS THEY (AND WE)
USE TO'
(circle the correct answers)
(1} flush a toilet one time
(2) run the tap two minutes while "Dripper"
Longshower brushes his teeth
(3) take a ten minute shower
(4) wash the dishes in an automatic machine
(5) do a full load of clothes in a top-loading
machine
(6) wash the car for 20 minutes (nozzle
off, hose running the whole time)
(7) the Longshowers ignore a leaky faucet
that drips slowly for a month
(8) the toilet leaks for 6 months
I-3
5-7
7-9
1 3-5 7-9
5-15 20-40 40-70
5-10 10-20 20-30
15-25 30-55 45-70
30
60
90
200 300 400
7,500 25,000 45,000
QUIZ ANSWERS
SNcmvo ooo'gfr (s) SNcmvo oos (z.) SNOTIVO OR (91
. TIVO OR
SNO-nv999-oe(g) SNonvo oz-oi M SNcmvo OL-OK Is) SNcmvo 9-e (e) SNOIIVO ,1-9
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EASY WAYS TO SAVE
To beat inflation, and theirtown's soaring
water, sewer, and energy costs, the
Longshowers decided to set uptheir own
water-saving program This required
three investments at a local hardware
store.
$1 2.95 for an effective water-saving
shower head
$1 1.00 for two sets of plastic toilet
inserts (called "dams") which they
installed in each of two toilet tanks
56.00 for three faucet aerators
They also changed the way they used two
appliances:
the washing machine—normally set
for HOT WASH-WARM RINSE—
was reset to WARM WASH-COLD
RINSE.
they ran the dishwasher only when
it had a full load (which saved two
loads/week).
By changing their toothbrushing habits
the Longshowers saved another 14 gal-
lons of water a day (about 21 tons a
year). Instead of running the tapwater
for two or three minutes, everyone used
a cup, and ran the tap just to rinse the
toothbrush.
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& IVI0WEY—SAVED BY A FAMILY OF FOUR
RESULTS OFTHELONGSHOWERS' EASY-TO-DO
WATER-SAVING PROGRAM:
(gallons used in one day by a family of four)
SHOWERS
(4 showers, 25 minute total)
TOILET
(20 flushes)
FAUCETS
WASHING MACHINE
(1 load—34 gallons)
DISHWASHER
(1 load—17 gallons)
TOTAL WATER
before after
125 55
110 80
26 16
34 34
17 17
TOOTH BRUSHING "^' 16 2
(8 times—not counted in faucet total)
TOTAL
GALLONS USED IN ONE DAY
328 204
before after
TOTAL WATER
HOT WATER
before after
62.5 27.5
-0- -0-
16 10
25 8
17 17
-0- —0-
120 62
before after
HOT WATER
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HOT WATER IS EXPENSIVE
SAVINGS IN WATER, ENERGY, MONEY
At average water and energy rates in the Washington, D C. suburbs (June
1 980) the Longshowers saved:
9 TOTAL WATER SAVED IN ONE YEAR
(including the dishwasher)
MONEY SAVED ON WATER/SEWER BILLS
WATER (at 90C per 1.000 gallons)
SEWER (at 31 10 per 1,000 gallons)
TOTAL MONEY SAVED ON WATER/SEWER
IN ONE YEAR
9 HOT WATER SAVED IN ONE YEAR
(including the dishwasher)
47,028 gallons
$42,33
S51 73
$94.06
22,938 gallons
MONEY EARNED IN ONE YEAR BY SAVING HOT WATER
—with an electric water heater $285.52*
(electricity at 6C a kilowatt hour)
—with a gas water heater $102.86*
(gas at 38C a therm)
—with an oil water heater $205.06*
(oil at $1 00 a gallon)
HOT WATER
The water heater, which may be gather-
ing cobwebs in a dark corner, will quietly
pick our pockets, if we let it As we fret
about furnace and air-conditioning bills,
we should remember that the water
heater burns twenty percent of the
energy we use at home.
Conserving hot water saved the Long-
showers about 1.250 a gallon, which
came to 72C of electricity a day. Gas
rates in the summer of 1 980 were about
60% less, so savings with a gas heater
would have been 26C a day (about 1/2C
a gallon).
But the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1 978
will bring rate increases to gas users. By
1 985, when the phased "deregulation"
of natural gas prices is accomplished,
homeowners may be paying 90C a therm
—well over twice what most commun-
ities are paying in 1 980.
You can easily figure your own hot water
costs by applying the simple formulas
on page 24.
*To figure your own energy costs see the formulas on page 24.
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APARTMENTS & CONDOMINIUMS
When we aren't billed individually for
water and energy there's usually less in-
centive to conserve. But these are such
big budget items to the building owner,
they're passed on in rents or as charges
for condominium maintenance.
And for the first time, many water
utilities are starting to charge higher
rates to big users, which will put apart-
ment and condominium residents even
more under the gun.
Savings to landlords—and tenants—who
conserve can be considerable.
A A few years ago a 1 51 unit high-rise
apartment installed low-flow devices
on showers and kitchen faucets at a
cost of $1,094. Within two months
the fixtures had paid forthemselves;
and the building realized a net saving
of $9,570 in the first year. For ten
years they projected a return of
$1 47,81 8—at water and energy
rates half what they are in 1 980.
Water conservation means less need
for expensive new reservoirs and
water/sewer facilities, which the
entire community pays for.
Leaks are like "thieves in the night"
that steal from every rentpa/er in the
building. They often make up 10%-
20% of an apartment building's
water bill, and should be REPORTED
PROMPTLY.
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WHAT ABOUT WELLS AND SEPTIC SYSTEMS?
Conserving hot water will save energy no
matter where the water supply comes
from. And saving water — hot or cold —
has additional benefits for well and septic
system users
A Since well water generally requires
pumping, less water used means less
energy burned at the pump
By saving just half the water con-
served by the Longshowers, families
would make life a lot easier for their
septic systems. And prevent dram-
field overloads
In some parts of the sunbelt
rainfall is replacing
5-1 0 inches of
groundwater
a year—
but groundwater
is being withdrawn
from wells
at the rate of
24 to 36 inches
a year.
7/1
run
Parts of the United States a re a I ready
running low on groundwater
On Long Island, New York—which
normally gets 40 inches of rainfall
a year—new developments have
drawn away so much groundwater
that ponds and streams have dried
up, and salt water from the ocean
has been seeping into groundwater
systems drained dry by community
wells.
In some parts of the sunbelt, ground-
water that took centuries to accu-
mulate is being withdrawn from
wells at the rate of 24 to 36 inches
a year
Nature, through rainfall, is replacing
just 5-1 0 inches a year—and less
than an inch in parts of Texas and
Oklahoma
In communities such as these, water
conservation is clearly an urgent
necessity.
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HOW TO SAVE WATER
THE BATHROOM is like an indoor
"Niagara Falls", that consumes about
75% of the water we use in the house.
Damming back the tons of water that
flow needlessly from showers, toilets,
and bathroom faucets is the key to big
water and energy savings.
75%
OF
THE
WATER
WE USE
EVERY
DAY
FLOWS
THROUGH
THE
BATHROOM
10
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IN THE SHOWER
THE SHOWER. Changing to a low-flow
shower head saved the Longshower
family 1 4C of water a day, and 44C of
electricity. Flow-control inserts and
shorter showers also save water.
$ Water-saving shower heads-
Some new homes and apartments
already have low-flow shower
heads, and some plumbing codes
require them. But most of us have
"high-flow" fixtures that gush water
at 5-1 0 gallons a minute
In testing shower heads, I found the
one I'd been using for years (and
considered "normal") produced 5-6
gallons a minute After a few experi-
ments I settled on a low-flow head
—more effective and comfortable
than the original—that deliveredjust
2 1 gallons a minute at full force It
cost S1 2.95, but had paid for itself
within two months
Friends with two young teen-agers
bought the same model—fearing the
worst—but reported "Good lord —
we're saving $1 5 a month with this
shower head, and we really enjoy the
shower "
In shopping for a conservation
shower head make sure to check
the advertised flow rate—the flow
should be under three gallons a
minute if you want substantial
savings.
To calculate flow rates, use the
water meter (see page 1 8). or put a
gallon container under the shower
head and measure the time it takes
to fill the container (at your typical
shower setting). If it fills in /essthan
20 seconds, the flow is greater than
3 gallons/minute
a ~~q seal.
Coyer exposed
of "neck '• Wt
joint tompx/ndl or
'fef/on la./*..
" shower
~Jo install... screw
"neck" clockwise.
11
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IN THE SHOWER
"Neck"nitl> Ball-Joint-
clockwise.
irtfo
P/artic itiserT
In a few cases you may find the new
shower head won't fit onto the exist-
ing pipe (called an "arm" or "neck"),
especially if the "neck" ends in a
ball-joint. But you can unscrew most
necks and replace them. Replace-
ments are readily available in plumb-
ing stores and most hardware
stores.
® Be sure to put some teflon tape
(about 75C for a small roll) or pipe
joint compound (500 for a small
tube) on exposed threads of the
new neck. Either one will seal the
joints and provide a leak-proof
connection.
If you have a ball jointthat has been
on the shower a few years, and the
neck proves too "stiff" to unscrew
with moderate pressure, consider
having a plumber replace it.
Flow-control inserts—Small in-
serts, like the ones in the drawing,
sell for about a dollar or two, and
when fit into standard shower heads
reduce the flow to 3 gallons a
minute or less.
I tried several brands in my old
"high-flow" shower head and found
they cut the flow to about 2.75
gallons a minute; but in areas that
have low water pressurethe results
may not be as good.
I prefer my water-saving shower
head to the various inserts I tested
(it saves more water, for one thing),
but if you don't want to invest in a
new shower head by all means try
an insert.
12
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IN THE BATHTUB
A Shorter showers—I find that run-
ning the water about 4 minutes is
plenty of time for a comfortable
shower. Measured against my
former habit of 7-8 minute showers
(at 5 gallons or more a minute) I'll
save about 1 0,000 gallons of
shower water this year—and up to
$1 00 in water and energy.
And here, my low-flow shower head
hasanotheradvantage: a valve inthe
head lets me cut off the water for
soaping and shampooing—and start
it again at the same flow rate.
THE BATHTUB. Using a gallon con-
tainer, fill the bottom of the bathtub until
the water is an inch high. Using the
formulas on page 24, you can then calcu-
late what an inch of tubwater costs you.
An inch equals about 4.5 gallons in my
tub, and for a "normal" bath I use about
5.5 inches (25 gallons)—at 4C an inch.
Since my "normal" shower now takes 8
gallons of water, I save 1 3C every time
I boycott the bathtub—which has
become standard practice.
When a warm bath is irresistible, I try to
do the following
• Close the drain before starting
the faucet—The first gallon or two
may be cold, but it warms by mixing
with hot water that follows.
• Make sure the stopper is water-
tight—An inch of hot water leaked
under a badly seated stopper is
worth about 4C.
• Don't spill water through the
overflow pipe—I displace about 2
inches of water when I sit in the tub.
If the tub is so full when I get in that
an inch or two of water spills over
into the pipe, I've wasted 4C-8C
• Bathe with less water—And save
4C an inch.
13
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TOILETS
TOILETS. Even now, many "standard"
toilets are made with tanks that hold 5-7
gallons of water; and all of it spills into
the toilet bowl when the toilet flushes.
But it isn't just the volume of water
that produces a "good" flush. I was
surprised to learn that flushing action de-
pends on the height from which the water
falls. This creates a "head pressure"—or
force—that gives sufficient "kick" to
flush the toilet. (This is why old-fashioned
water closets flushed the toilet with just
2 or 3 gallons of water )
An inexpensive pair of panels, called
"dams", can be set in the bottom half
of a toilet tank to hold back about 1.5
gallons—without reducing the "head
pressure"
Another trick is to displace water in the
tank with plastic bottles, milk cartons,
etc.
4 Plastic bottles—The idea is to fill
a couple of quart plastic bottles with
water and set them in the toilet tank
where they won't interfere with the
flushing mechanism. Put a fewclean
stones in the bottom to hold them
down.
Two bottles displace and save about
half a gallon of water—or more, if
larger bottles are used (some people
adapt gallon plastic milk bottles
by cutting off the tops).
~33ott/es tn place.
Water utilities ask us not to use the
once popular brick, which displaces
water but may deteriorate in the
toilet tank.
kToilet "dams"—Those on the
market are plastic, or made with
rubber-coated pieces of metal that
you can flex and fit between the
front and back walls of a toilet tank.
Once in place they make a barrier
that holds back a gallon and a half
of water during each flush.
in place
Dams are easy to adjust, and don't
interfere with working parts in the
toilet. Mine are set on either side of
the flush valve, and about as close to
the valve as I can get them. Other
toilets may require other alignments,
even to using only one dam.
The aim is to find an adjustment that
combines adequate flushing action
with maximum water saving—while
insuring that the toilet doesn't have
to be flushed twice.
14
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WATER & SEWER RATES
Having experimented with bottles,
bricks, milk cartons, and toilet dams,
I'm sold on the plastic dams I bought
at S5.00 a pair They not only save
more water, but create a central
channel for water flushed from the
toilet tank—which aids in efficient
flushing.
Water saving toilets—Toilets that
were "standard" when water sup-
plies were assumed to be limitless
(and water/sewer rates were "dirt
cheap") are still being manufactured
—and commonly require 5-7 gallons
of water to flush properly.
But the 1 980's have also brought
more efficient models that flush with
3.5 gallons of water—and some
local plumbing codes requirethem in
new construction.
If, and when, you need to replace a
toilet, make sure to install an up-to-
date "water-saving" model.
Water & Sewer Rates
As this is written, water/sewer rates in
my own sanitary district have jumped to
an all-time high — in line with the rising
costs of the chemicals and energy needed
to process household water.
For a family like the Longshowers, water
rates have risen from 90C to 970 per
1,000 gallons; but sewer rates have
jumped 50C, to $1 .60 per 1,000 gallons
of sewage.
Given the usage figures on page 6,
toilet dams will save the Longshowers
7.7C a day at the new rates—and pay for
themselves (2 pair) in less than 5 months.
While 8C a day may not keep the wolf
from the door in 1 980, it's when I con-
sider the huge construction and operat-
ing budgets of my local water/sewer
district that I become even more fanatical
about toilet dams.
If each resident of my district conserved
7.5 gallons of toilet water a day, we'd
save 9 million gallons a day from expen-
sive treatment at the water-filtration
plant, and reduce flows to the regional
sewage plant by the same amount
For just $1 Oa household, this would save
nearly half the capacity of a new sewage
plant rny sanitary district plans to build
in 1 982 (cost estimate is over $ 1 00
millioni).
15
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FAUCETS
FAUCETS. Although many plumbing
codes now require 2.75 gallon/minute
faucets, most of us can expect to run 4
gallons of water a minute with the faucet
wide open—and more if we live in a zone
of high water pressure.
Three inexpensive devices sold at most
hardware stores will save gallons of
water in the bathroom and kitchen.
||Spray taps—These spray the water
like a miniature shower, and make
washing and rinsing operations
handier and more efficient. Most
have adapters that let you screw
them onto faucet spouts that have
internal or external threads.
If you have an unthreaded faucet
spout ask at a plumbing store for
a "universal" faucet adapter.
Aerators—Like spray taps, most
come with screw-on adapters. Aer-
ators mix air with faucet water to
reduce the flow
My own taps poured-out 5 gallons a
minute under full pressure, but a
$2.00 aerator cut this to 2.5 gal Ions,
about the same rate as the spray tap.
Combined spray tap-aerators—
Inexpensive fixtures that combine
both features and let the user select
the one he wants for a given job.
I have them on all faucets in the
house' the spray is ideal for washing
dishes, hands and vegetables, and
the aerated flow just right for rinsing
a razor or filling a glass.
I bought the spray-aerators to save
water, but have found them so effec-
tive and such a pleasure to use that
I wouldn't be without them. Mine
have swivel necks that direct water
to all parts of the sink
16
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KITCHEN & LAUNDRY
THE KITCHEN AND LAUNDRY
Automatic dishwashers and washing
machines are too expensive to replace
just to save water. But good, water-
saving models that use just half the water
of older models are sold in many appli-
ance stores. Look for one if you need to
replace a worn-out machine
DISHWASHER. All the water in wash-
rinse and pre-soak cycles is hot, since it
cornes directly from the water heater My
machine uses 1 7 gallons, about 21 C of
hot water a lead.
9 So I never run the dishwasher with
less than a full load.
9 Rinsing the dishes in a stoppered
sink (with cold water) lets me by-
pass the pre-soak cycle, and saves
100 a load.
® If you have a pre-soak cycle and like
to use it, don't waste time and water
rinsing dishes in the sink—the
machine is equipped to do this for
you. Scraping the dishes is good
enough.
9 When there are just a few break-
fast or lunch dishes, do them by
hand and save 1 0 or 12 gallons of
hot water.
Instead of rinsing the dishes under
a tap, fill a second basin or bowl
with nnsewater.
9 However you do the dishes, it's less
work and uses less water to wash
(or at least rinse) them soon after
meals, before the food has dried.
WASHING MACHINE. For many
years I set the dial for hot wash-warm
rinse, thinking it would produce the
"sparkling" clothes I saw on TV ads
Changing to warm wash-cold rinse has
been saving 21 C a wash (on a 34 gallon
machine)—and the clothes are just as
clean.
A Use the warm wash-cold rinse cycle
unless the laundry is exceptionally
dirty, or even a cold wash with cold
water detergent if it gets the clothes
clean
A If there's less than a FULL load don't
^ff
run the washing machine.
On my machine, even the so-called
"low-load" cycle uses 24 gallons of
water, so it's a lot more cost-effec-
tive to wait until I have a full load
® If convenient, set up a clothesline
and let the sun dry your wash
17
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WATER METERS
If the house has a water meter, you can
check the entire plumbing system in five
easy steps:
1. find the water meter. (It may be out-
doors or hidden in a dark corner
of the basement).
2. make sure no water is running.
3. read the dial (or dials) and record
the reading.
4. after 1 5 or 20 minutes re-check the
meter.
5. if the reading has changed you have
a leak. Divide the number of gallons
by the elapsed time and you'll know
the rate: gallons per minute, per
hour, etc.
If your meter looks like a car odometer,
just read it as you would the car mileage.
But note that the last number on the right
is a zero, and never changes. It is fortens
of gallons, which are recorded by the
hand on the small dial.
CUBIC FEET
El D El El B
Some water meters read like electric
meters: they have a set of dials that must
be read in series, starting with the dial
that records thousands or millions of gal-
lons (or cubic feet).
You'll find the hands move counter-clock-
wise on one dial, then clockwise on the
next, and continue to alternate this way.
To get the total gallons, read each dial
in turn as shown in the drawing — if the
hand is between two numbers, read the
lower one.
Should the meter record cubic feet,
multiply by 7.5 to convert to gallons of
water.
Example: 3 cubic feet x 7.5 = 22.5
gallons
You now have a tool to check any appli-
ance in the house by taking "before" and
"after" readings. Find out how many gal-
lons you use in the shower; to flush the
toilet; for running the automatic dish-
washer, etc. Just make sure to run only
one appliance at a time.
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LEAKS
Leaks—This was never my problem,
until I checked one day and found two
hidden leaks that were wasting almost
1 0 tons of water a week—at 48C a ton1
According to water utilities, leaks can
easily account for 1 0% of our water bill,
and waste 50C a day or more if the source
is a hot water tap.
Toilet leaks—When a toilet leaks, water
escapes from the tank into the bowl and
washes away into a sewer. Toilets are
notorious for hidden leaks, because
unless the toilet "runs" after each flush
(which can waste 4-5 gallons a minute)
we seldom notice them.
Q At home, a silent leak caused by a
corroded flush valve was wasting
about 1 0.5 gallons of water an hour
—costing me a ton of water and 50C
a day for a plumbing failure I couldn't
see or hear.
The best way to find a toilet leak is
one recommended by water utilities.
For 83C I bought a small food color-
ing set at a local grocery store and
put about a dozen drops of red dye
into the toilet tank.
When red showed up in the toilet
bowl soon after, I knew I had a prob-
lem. No dye in the bowl after 1 0 or
1 5 minutes means a leak-proof
toilet.
Faucet Leaks—Faucet leaks are
obvious, but make sure to check seldom
used taps in the basement or outside the
house
£ On checking the basement, I found
I was losing 65 gallons a day from a
leaking faucet I rarely used
It was adding 54 a month to the
water/sewer bill, and had it been
hot water would have added another
$24 a month to my electric bill.
To show how insidious faucet leaks are,
we've drawn a few of them at rates I've
measured in my own home.
WATER WASTED IN ONE MONTH
FROM LEAKS
1. a slow steady drip
(1 00 drops a minute)
gallons
350
2. a fast drip about 600
3. a small stream 2000-2700
4. a large stream
4600
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FIXING LEAKS
A word of caution: most leaks are easy
to repair, but if you're not handy with
tools better buy or borrow a basic plumb-
ing book or call your plumber.
Faucets
The majority of faucet leaks are caused
by worn-out washers, inexpensive parts
that are easily replaced. But there are so
many kinds of faucets in use you'd better
consult a plumbing book—or plumber—
unless you know exactly how to take
apart your faucet.
Toilets
The best way to see how a toilet works
is to remove the lid, pull the handle, and
watch what happens.
When water stands too high in a
toilet tank it can spill out the over-
flow tube. A line on the back of the
tank usually marks the right level,
about 1 /2 inch below the top of the
tube.
If the water is too high (or too low)
bend the float arm (very gently) until
the toilet fills to a point about 1/2
inch below the top of the overflow
tube. If the water is too tow you may
get a poor flush.
A worn flush-valve ball can leak
1 0-1 2 gallons an hour, but so
secretly you'll need food coloring to
spot it. It's a part you can easily
remove and replace.
It may also happen that the flush-
valve ball isn't seating properly.
Check the valve seat for scale or
corrosion and clean it if necessary.
This may also be the problem if the
toilet "runs"
If the ball still won't seat, the guide-
wire may be bent or catching in the
guide. Straighten the wire or clean
the guide until the ball seats prop-
erly.
In newer toilets, the guide-wire
assembly has been replaced by a
chain, and the flush-valve ball by a
streamlined "flapper-ball" If you
have these parts you won't have
problems with a balky guide-wire.
If you have to jiggle the handle to
keep the toilet from "running", it
may be a sticking guide-wire, or the
handle itself may be loose. If the
handle is loose, tighten the nut that
secures it in the toilet tank.
20
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FIXING LEAKS
| If the water that refills the tank won't
shut off, yoir probably have a defec-
tive shut-off valve in the ballcock
assembly. You'll find that water con-
tinues to run and spill into the over-
flow-tube, eventually wasting tons of
water and a lot of money.
Unless you're a good household
plumber, you'll want to call a pro-
fessional to correct it.
In replacing a ballcock assembly,
consider getting a new, efficient
model hkethe one below.
To empty the tank for toilet repairs,
turn off the water inlet under the
toilet. Empty the tank by flushing it,
and sponge up the leftover water.
ffoaf Arm
0/erflow Tube.
tit
(inside tank)
Ba/l
Can macc ijo/n FkAk t/a.lve Bull
21
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MORE TIPS
Inside the House
A Don't use the toilet as an ashtray
(or wastebasket). Flushing away six
gallons of water is an expensive way
to dispose of a cigarette.
>To save hot water, turn off the
shower while soaping or shampoo-
ing. Many low-flow shower heads
have built-in controls that make this
easy
^ Half-fill the sink while shaving so you
don't have to run the hot water con-
tinuously.
|A lower thermostat setting on the
water heater will save energy. If you
haven't adjusted it, the setting on
your water heater is probably be-
tween 1 40-1 60 degrees, but in
some cases could be lowered 1 0
or 1 5 degrees without affecting the
operation of a dishwasher or
washing machine.
I suggest you call the local gas or
electric company to see what they
. recommend.
^Insulating the water heater and hot-
water pipes will save energy But be
sure to get advice on the proper
way to do it.
'low sudsing detergents require less
water for rinsing (the amount of
foam has no effect on cleansing
power).
n he garbage disposal eats water,
too. Throw bones, rinds, eggshells,
etc. into the trash—or even build a
i compost pile.
I
Use a bowl of water or stopper the
sink when washing vegetables. In
one experiment I used 3 gallons of
water to scrub a dozen potatoes
under the tap. Washing them in a
i bowl used 2 quarts.
In summer, keep a bottle of cold
drinking water in the ice box.
22
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MORE TIPS
Outside water use
Water washed or sprinkled onto streets
and sidewalks means energy and chemi-
cals wasted at a water purification plant
—plus the cost of pumping the water
through miles of pipe.
A few experiments with garden hoses
taught me the following
A Washing my car for 20 minutes with
a 5/8" diameter garden hose (nozzle
off, hose running the whole time)
used 97 gallons of water.
9 A3/4"hosenearly doubled the flow.
4 With a pistol-grip nozzle on the hose
—that I shut off except to wet and
rinse the car—I used just 1 5 gallons
of water.
i Watering lawns, gardens, and cars
during the summer nearly doubles
household water consumption. But
at just the time of year when streams
are beginning to run dry, this water
is not returned to the river.
Low summer stream flows put heavy
stress on fish and other stream wild-
life. Their survival in drought
summers may well depend on how
carefully we manage the garden
hose.
conserve outside water:
Plant native vegetation, especially in
dry climates. Communities in the
Southwest, for example, are redis-
covering the beauty of native, desert
plants that survive hot, dry summers
on little water.
, To wash the car' hose it down, then
shut off the hose until you're ready
to rinse. Do the washing with a pail
of soapy water.
i Instead of hosing driveways and
sidewalks, use a rake or broom — and
save 50-60 gallons of water.
i For lawns and gardens water utilities
recommend the following.
—water the grass only when it needs
water If it springs up after you walk
on it, the grass is OK and doesn't
need watering.
— soak grass long enough for water
to reach the roots. This kind of
watering, once a week, is betterthan
several light sprinklings. The formula
is: WATER SLOWLY, DEEPLY,
INFREQUENTLY.
—water during the cool of the day,
early in the morning or at dusk, to
minimize water loss by evaporation.
Don't water on windy days
— in summer, keep the grass about
2" high. This shades the root system
and holds soil moisture better than
closely clipped lawns.
— conserve soil moisture around
trees and garden plants (and dis-
courage weeds) by mulching with
leaves, lawn clippings, or even strips
of plastic.
— don't water the street1 Adjust the
hose or sprinkler until it's on target
— Sprinklers that produce a fine
mist waste a lot of water through
evaporation.
— If water is rationed in a drought,
give priority to trees and shrubs,
which are more expensive and
harder to replace than grass and
annual plants.
— In a real emergency, water plants
with "gray water" saved from bath-
ing and dishwashing.
23
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FIGURING THE COST OF HOT WATER
In figuring the cost of energy for bath and shower water, I've assumed
that 50% of the water is hot; so if I use 20 gallons of water for a shower,
I take half, or 1 0 gallons, in working out the energy costs.
To figure how much gas, oil, or electricity it takes to heat household water,
use the following formulas:
gallons of
water
gallons of
water
gallons of
water
x 8.33 x
3413
x 8.33 x
1 00,000
x 8.33 x
132,000
change in water
temperature*
change in water
temperature*
change in water
temperature*
(of electricity)
— therms (of gas)
gallons (of oil)
Multiply your answer by the rate on a current energy bill
to determine how much you pay for hot water.
THE WORLD'S WATER
97% = Saltwater
3% = Fresh Water
0.77% = Polar Ice
0.22% = Ground and Soil Water
0.003% = Rivers and Streams
0.3% = Fresh Water Available to Man
24
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FIGURING THE COST OF HOT WATER
Example: the cost of running a load of dishes through my 1 7 gallon dish-
washer (all 1 7 gallons are hot water) —
17 gals, x 8.33 x 85 ° = 1 2,036 85
3.53 kilowatt hrs.
3413
3.53 kilowatt hours x 6C/ kilowatt hour =210 per load"
"Average year-round temperature of water coming into the home is about
60° F. Subtracting 60°F from the setting on your water heater gives the
"change in temperature" referred to in the formula. In the example,
1 45°F. (heater setting) minus 60° F = 85°
"Water Heater Efficiency: I've assumed an elecfnc heater is 1 00% efficient;
gas and oil are about 60% (0.60) efficient. So the cost of gas for the same
load of dishes would be:
1 7 x 8.33 x 85° = 1 2.036.85
-= 0.1 2 therms
100,000
0.12 therms x 38C/therm — 4.6C
0.60 efficiency
: 7.6C per load
CONVERSION TABLE
1 gallon = 8.33 pounds
1 cubic foot = 7 48 gallons
1 ton = 240 gallons
1 acre-foot = 325.851 gallons
1 million gallons a day (rngd) — 694.4^gallons/mmute
= 1.55 cubic feet/second
1 billion gallons a day (bgd) = 1.12 million acre-feet/year
25
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BUYING WATER SAVING DEVICES
There is more variety to low-flow plumbing than I had thought, and it was
easy enough, living near a big city, to find exactly what I needed. Like the
standard "high-flow" plumbing most of us already have, some spray-taps,
water-saving showerheads, etc., will suit us better than others.
Readers who worry about switching showerheads, or taking time to buy a set
of toilet dams, will find the money they save is well worth a shopping trip
or two.
Here are some tips for finding low-flow devices:
A If the neighbors have faucet aerators, low-flow shower heads, etc., find
out how they like them, and ask to try one.
A Call several plumbing or hardware stores to find out what they have.
Visit one or two stores to examine the devices.
A To be sure the devices suit your plumbing, try to find items that are
returnable.
A Consumers Report magazine has rated a number of water-saving
devices. Look up the following articles in the library:
Consumers Report, May 1978, (pages 294-302): rates water-saving
devices for toilets and showers. (I disagree with their appraisal of
toilet "dams".)
Consumers Report, October 1978, (pages 572-577): rates washing
machines, including water-saving models.
A A book I found very helpful in describing water-saving devices, and which
has an extensive listing of manufacturers, is: North Mann's Little Com-
pendium of Water Saving Ideas. Written in 1 977 by John Olaf Nelson,
General Manager of the North Marin County Water District, the
Little\Compendium is 273 pages of information on water-saving
methods, devices, and where the devices can be obtained. It is available
for about $7.00 from:
John Olaf Nelson
North Marin County Water District
P.O. Box 146
Novato, California 94947
(415)897-4133
A; The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will publish
in late 1 980 an extensive handbook on residential water saving. It
is called "Saving Water Makes Cents," and will be for sale for about
$2 from.
The Superintendent of Documents
Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402
26
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Energy & Water Saver
HEflD
WIlNUTC
WITH
WATfR
SAVING-
RfDUTR
insert makes
tfi/s
"UwFlow*
* skater head,
or -'add- on s
A word of caution
Some shower heads, advertised as "low-flow" on the package, are standard
designs—but come with a plastic disk or washer the buyer must insert
to reduce the normal flow.
You can get a similar effect with your current shower head by using an
inexpensive flow-control "insert"
Don't spend money on a "low-flow" shower head that requires "add-ons"
to make it work. Good low-flow heads are engineered to save water (and
give a pleasant shower) without additional gimmicks.
27
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If you can't find low-flow devices .
In doing a retail survey in the city of Frederick, Md. (pop. 30,000) and several
outlying towns, I found that very few stores carried all, or even most of the water-
saving devices I have recommended.
To assist readers who have similar problems in obtaining toilet "dams," low-flow
shower heads, etc., I have listed the names of a few equipment manufacturers and
distributors of products I like or which are recommended in publications of the
following agencies:
. Institute for Research on Land & Water Resources
Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802
. California Dept. of Water Resources
P.O. Box 388, Sacramento, CA 95802
« Oregon Water Resources Department
555 1 3th St., N.E., Salem, OR 9731 0
LOW-FLOW SHOWER HEADS, TOILET DAMS, & AERATORS:
Metropolitan Water Saving Inc
4701 Sangamore Rd
Washington, D C 2001 6
Ny-Del Corp
740 E Alosta Ave
P 0 Box 1 55
Glendora, CA 91 740
LOW-FLOW SHOWER HEADS 8. AERATORS
Whedon Products Inc
20 Hurlbut Street
West Hartford CT 061 10
SPRAY TAPS/AERATORS:
Delta Faucet Co
55 E 1 1 1 St
Indianapolis, IN 46280
Moen
Elyria, OH 44035
Speakrnan Co.
Wilmington, DE 1 9899
Con-Serv Inc
7745 Remhold Dr
Cincinnati. OH 45237
LOVO Products Div
Vanderburgh Enterprises, Inc
P 0 Box 1 38
Southport, CT 06490
Kirkhill Inc
1 2021 Woodruff Ave
Downey, CA 90241
UNIVERSAL FAUCET ADAPTORS & SHOWER FLOW-RESTRICTORS ("INSERTS"):
Wrightway Manufacturing Co
1050 Central Ave
Park Forest South, IL 64066
For a more complete list of low-flow devices write to Potomac River & Trails
Council, 1 2 S Market St., Frederick, Md. 21 701. Be sure to enclose a
stamped self-addressed envelope.
28
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This booklet has been reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency and approved for publi-
cation. Approval does not signify that the contents necessarily reflect the views and policies of
the Environmental Protection Agency, nor do mention of trade names or commercial products
constitute endorsement or recommendation for use
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