Welcome to Kelly Plumbing

WaterWise

Water, we use it everyday at home and at work in so many ways. Although, water is no longer the “sure thing” that it once was and because of this we need to reassess our attitude about water and reconsider how we use it.

Ironically water is one of the worlds most valuable resources, yet we tend to take it for granted. The yearly water use in a typical North Central Victorian home is 300,000 litres- that’s equal to about 5 average swimming pools!
This water is used as follows:

Below we have listed some tips that may help you preserve one of our most precious assets. If you feel you have any problems with the household appliances that we list, please feel free to contact us ASAP to resolve these costly problems today.

Check your toilet for leaks:
Leaks are not always visible with toilets. But they can waste up to 16,000 litres of water a year. To check for leaks place a small amount of food die in the toilet tank. If the die runs into the bowl without flushing contact us immediately.

Install or convert your toilet to dual flush:
Replace a single flush toilet with a 6 litre /3 litre dual flush. This can save up to 5 litres of water per flush, which can mean a home with 2 adults, and 2 children can save up to 36,000 litres per year.

Take shorter showers:
Long, hot showers can waste up to ten to twenty litres of water every minute or $20 per person per year. So, save water by limiting your shower to the time it takes to soap up, wash down and rinse off. If you want to soak, try a bath in a partly filled tub, as this uses less water than a long shower.

Install a water saving showerhead:
Flow restrictors on your showerhead can cut water delivery in half without affecting the shower quality, saving up to $20 per person per year.

Fix leaking taps:
A tap dripping 45 times per minute from a worn washer can waste around 1000 litres of hot water a month. So, ask about our maintenance free tap washers today which can eliminate washer replacement, can save on water costs and limits banging pipes.

When brushing your teeth:
Use a glass of water to rinse your mouth after brushing and don’t leave the tap running all of the time. This will save 9,100 litres per year, per person. And if you brush your teeth twice a day, for 3 minutes each time and leave the tap running, you’ll use about 5 litres per minute. That’s 11,000 litres per year, per person.

Install a Flickmixer or Lever Tap:
We can install for you a single lever mixer tap to help you find your required temperature quickly so you can waste less water adjusting it. They are also much easier to turn on and off, if this is a problem for you.

Install a water filter:
Have an underbench water filter installed for clean, fresh tasting water instead of buying water from the supermarket or boiling it.

Washing dishes:
Don’t rinse your dishes before loading them into your dishwasher. Use the rinse and hold setting instead. You use about 50 litres of water each time you use the dishwasher. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that you maximise its water efficiency. If you wash dishes by hand, don’t rinse them under running water. Either fill your second sink with rinse water or stack the washed dishes in the dish rack and spray with an inexpensive spray device.

Using the sink:
Don’t wash anything under a running tap. For example, wash fruit and vegetables in a sink half filled with water; this uses about 12 litres. If you wash them for about 3-5 minutes, you’ll save 33 to 48 litres of water.

Choosing a washing machine:
Choose a washing machine that is water efficient. You can save a substantial amount of water and money over the life of the machine.

When to wash:
Ensure that you have a full load before you wash. Don’t use you washing machine for just one or two items. You can use 150 litres of water each time you use your washing machine. And also make sure that you adjust the water level to suit your wash load.

How often to water:
Keep your lawn green by aerating the soil, feeding but not over fertilising it, and only watering it twice a week; this toughens the grass and encourages it roots to go deeper.

How to mow:
Don’t cut your grass shorter than 2 cm; this gives the grass enough leaf area to protect itself from the burning effects of the sun. (Your lawn soaks up more water per square metre than any other area in your garden).

Use a timer with your sprinklers:
Fit a tap timer to ensure that you don’t over-water. Choose sprinklers that produce big drops rather than a fine mist, which is easily carried away by wind. Make sure sprinklers water only the garden or the lawn, not the paths. (A forgotten sprinkler can waste over 1,000 litres of water per hour).

Install a rainwater tank
Kelly Plumbing supply and install a great range of Water tanks. Water Tanks are one the best ways to water your plants and lawn when we are in our water restrictions seasons. We find them to be very good quality with the following benefits:
*Pure white interior highlights the clean water and improves the opacity to sunlight, reducing the algae growth.
*Manufactured from UV stabilised food grade polyethylene which complies with Australian Standards
*Filtration system filters down to 10 micron
*One piece moulded tank-No vertical join line
*Matched to roofing colours
*High resistance to impact
*Relocatable
*No stand base required
*Minimum site preparation
To suit Australia’s harshest conditions!!

Mulch Your garden
Contact your local garden supplier in your area and have them recommend the best mulch for the type of plants you have in your garden.

Be mindful of your plant selection to avoid plants that require a lot of water
There are particular species of plants that do not require a lot of water to survive and thrive in our hot climate. In particular a lot of native plants require little water and come in all sorts of different varieties and colours. Your local plant nursery will be the best place to start to re-design or design your new water wise garden.

Reduce your lawn area or downgrade the grass-type to grasses such as couch
Reducing your lawn area is a great way of saving on water if you don’t have a recycled water tank to water your lawn. Your local garden supplier should have a vast range of rocks, sand and mulches that you can lay instead of lawn. Or contact a local Landscape Gardener for a full redesign.

Ask your local plant nursery before laying turf for low-water species
Your best option for low water species of plants is your local nursery they should be very helpful in the design and selection of plants for your garden.

NOW YOU KNOW HOW, GET OUT THERE AND DO YOUR PART, HELP SAVE SOME WATER TODAY!!!!