Kitchen and Bath The Money-Saving Guide For The Every Day

Homeowner

Water Conservation

It’s common knowledge that the world is mostly made up of water, but did you know that 97% of it is salt water, which is dangerous for humans to ingest? That leaves 3% fresh water, and of that, only 1% is actually drinkable. That’s not much water for over 7 billion people to share, which is why water conservation is extremely important.

Where Does Water Waste Happen Most?

Limiting our water use as much as possible around the house is something that we should all do, but sometimes, we are wasting water and not even realizing we are doing it. For instance, a leaky faucet or pipe can waste over 3,000 gallons of water each year. These are the most vulnerable spots in the home for water waste: the toilet, shower, and house bib.

Toilet The number one place that water is wasted in the home is the toilet. A lot of times people will have a toilet that constantly runs or it will have a little leak inside. It is usually an internal component failure where water leaks into the bowl causing the toilet to run all day long. The only way to know if you have a leak is by the sound, you will hear the toilet run or trickle, and it will fill up in the middle of the day.

¡  The most common reason for a toilet leak is directly related to the flapper. The flapper is a round rubber disk that is connected to a chain, and its purpose is to lift up as the toilet is flushing to release water into the bowl.

¡  Flappers need to be replaced every 3-5 years because overtime the rubber starts to decay, or minerals build up on it from the water. An old flapper allows water to leak from the tank, and this small water leakage adds up overtime.

Shower The shower and faucet valve are major sources of water waste and although they are visible, most people do not pay attention to them. If you have a leak, when you turn the shower or faucet off, it will continue to drip all day long. Most people do not notice this leak because anytime they are in the shower the water is on, which makes it very easy to overlook.

House Bib A hose bib is the outdoor water faucet protruding from your house that you hook your garden hose to. During the summertime, many people hook a hose up to the bib and the hose will have a sprayer on the other end that is not secured properly. They will leave the water running but will have the sprayer function off. Because of the loose connection and the running water, water will drip all day long at the point where the sprayer meets the hose.

Many times the hose bib will have an internal leak and will drip constantly. People don’t notice that leak either because they turn the faucet off, go inside, and don’t look back to see it dripping. Also, it drips into grass so there will be no puddle of water or evidence of a leak unless you are standing there watching it.

Tips For Conserving Water

¡ Don’t leave hoses hooked to hose bibs and turned on. This always creates a leak and will cause you to waste a lot of water.

¡ Always get regular maintenance done on your AC unit, water heater, water filtration system, and water softener because if you don’t, they will not work they way they are designed to and end up wasting a lot of water.

¡ Don’t take hour-long showers. A four minute shower uses anywhere from 25-40 gallons of water.

¡ Only run your dishwasher and washing machine when they are completely full.

¡ Only water your yard when you need to, and when you do water it make sure it is early morning or at night when the sun isn’t out. A good way to tell if your lawn needs water is to step on your grass. If your grass springs back up then it is fine, if it doesn’t then it needs some water.

¡  Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Only run water when you absolutely have to.

¡  If you have a half-full glass of water and you are done with it, never put it down the drain. Find another use for it like watering a plant or your garden.

¡  Install water saving devices throughout your home like high-efficiency toilets and washing machines.

Remodel Your Kitchen Without Breaking the Bank

Improving the style and function of your kitchen doesn’t have to mean a complete and costly renovation; upgrading your kitchen sink can do wonders. Yesterday we wrote about different materials for your kitchen sink – options galore!

Choosing The Style ¡  Single or Double Bowl Sink:

A single bowl sink has just one basin. Single basin sinks are usually available in compact sizes, making them ideal for small spaces. However, larger basin can make cleaning large dishes such as pots and oven trays much easier as well as the tendency for a single large bowl to look more sleek and modern.

Cleaning a single bowl kitchen sink is a bit more efficient due to fewer amounts of space to clean up, and they are typically less costly than the two or three bowl varieties.

In contrast, the majority of modern kitchen sinks feature two bowls. However, if you do a lot of cooking that involves larger dishes, you’ll need to make sure that the basins of your sink are big enough to comfortably wash those big pots and pans.

Choosing The Style ¡  Top Mount Sink:

This style of kitchen sink is designed to be dropped into a hole in your counter top. Top mount kitchen sinks almost always have a rim or lip that holds the sink in place which helps create a look that is clean and complete. Also known as drop-in sinks, these are moderately easy and cheap to install. The rim minimizes the need for an internal support system underneath the counter, making this type of sink a good choice for people who love to do-it-themselves or people who are on a budget. However, top mount sinks don’t have the sleek appearance of under mount sinks, and the area between the lip of the sink and the counter to accumulate scum and dirt easily.

Choosing The Style ¡  Under Mount Sink:

For under mount sinks, the sink is mounted underneath the counter. No rim means that the edge of the counter drops off directly into the sink basin, creating a sleek and modern finish. This feature reduces the amount of work when cleaning because debris can be put straight into the sink. Unlike a top mount sink, under mount models don’t have grooves and crevices where food and other junk can accumulate, and who doesn’t want less cleaning after a long work day?

Under mount models require more work to install because the sink must be glued to the underside of the counter. Stainless steel sinks are typically light enough to work with just glue, but heavier sinks like cast iron or fireclay need some sort of internal support system, making the install potentially more expensive. Most under mount sinks are not designed with space for faucets and other attachments, so holes must be cut into the counter top to install these components, which would require work by a qualified professional. Most of the time under mount sinks can only be installed with new countertops, so if you’re looking to retrofit an under mount sink, consult a professional installer before you buy.

Choosing The Style

¡  Integral Sinks:

An Integral sink is a sink made out of the same material as the countertop to form a continuous surface.

This has become very popular in recent years. Integral sinks are actually part of the counter and are the same material as the rest of the counter. Integral sinks can be made from lots of different materials like stainless steel, cement and composites. Integral sinks are really trendy and very easy to clean. However, if you ever want to replace the sink, you have to replace the entire counter as well, which can be costly with time and money.

Low Flow Toilets Water conservation is important to all responsible homeowners. Watering the lawn in the evening, running the dishwasher only when it’s full, and turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth – these are a few of many tricks that can be used to conserve water. Flushing a toilet uses 38 percent of your indoor water. Yep, more than a third of the water used in a typical household goes right down the toilet.

Because of their high water usage, the United States ruled in 1992 that all new toilets sold must be low-flow toilets. Before 1992, each toilet flush used at least 3 gallons of water, and in some cases even more than that. But with low-flow toilets you only use 1.28 gallons of water when you flush, which is a significant decrease.

Low-flow toilets are great at conserving water, but because they use less water they tend to clog more often than the older 3-gallon/flush toilets. If you use too much paper or overuse the toilet it will get backed up, and improvements have been made over the last few years to alleviate this issue.

Maintenance The important thing to remember with low-flow toilets is proper usage and maintenance. Here are some tips to keep your toilet running smoothly:

¡  Always make sure your toilet is working the way it is designed to work. If your toilet is constantly running or dripping then something is wrong. Noises like this could mean that the flapper is not working, there is an internal leak, or there is not enough water entering the toilet bowl. Calling a professional to fix any problem, even a small one, ensures that your toilet is in good working order and this will help keep stoppages to a minimum.

¡  Make sure that after every flush all contents inside the toilet go down the drain. And sometimes, this may take more than one flush. If paper or anything else gets left behind inside the toilet then it is safe to say that contents are stuck inside the drain and will eventually cause a stoppage.

¡  If you lift the lid and see dirt, sediment, or black rubber floating around in the tank you probably have a problem with the gasket or the flapper. Small problems like these can lead to larger ones, which will cause damage to the toilet if not properly fixed.