WATER SAVING

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 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:

• Kitchen 21,000 litres (7%)
• Bathroom 48,000 litres(16%)
• Laundry 30,000 litres (10%)
• Toilet 51,000 litres (17%)
• Garden Beds & Lawns 150,000 litres (50%)

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:
Check for toilet leaks by placing a few drops of food colouring into the cistern, and wait for 30 minutes. If you have a leaking toilet, you will see coloured water in the toilet bowl and need to contact a plumber. A slow, barely visible leak into your toilet bowl can waste more than 4,000 litres of water a year. Visible, constant leaks (with a hissing sound) can waste 95,000 litres a year.

Install or convert your toilet to dual flush:
Replace a single flush toilet with a 4.5 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. Use the half flush option when possible on dual flush toilets.

Take shorter showers:
Reduce your showering time. Every minute you cut from your shower time could save up to nine litres of water. Install a water efficient showerhead. Not only will you save on your water bills, but using less hot water means you'll also save on your energy bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. You'll also save lots of water.

Dripping taps Leaks:
A dripping tap can waste more than 2,000 litres of water a month. That's 24,000 litres a year!

• Turn taps off firmly, but avoid excessive force that may damage the tap washer and cause the tap to leak.
• Fix leaking taps: it may be as simple as changing a washer. Seek assistance from a plumber.
• Check for leaking pipes by reading your water meter before you go to bed, then again in the morning. If there has been no water use overnight, and the reading has changed, you may have a leaking pipe and should seek advice from a plumber.

When brushing your teeth:
Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth. If you brush your teeth twice a day, for two minutes each time, and leave the tap running, you could be wasting around 12 litres (or just over a bucket) of water a day. That's over 4,300 litres per person, per year. Kitchen: About six per cent of household water is used in the kitchen. A running kitchen tap can use around nine litres of water a minute.

• Instead of running water to wash vegetables or rinse dishes, put a plug in the sink or use a bowl.
• Use your dishwasher only when you have a full load and use the economy cycle. Each time you use the dishwasher, you could be using between 18 and 40 litres of water€depending on the age of your dishwasher.
• Use the €rinse and hold' setting, if your dishwasher has one, instead of rinsing dishes under the tap before placing them in the dishwasher.

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 manufacturers 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.

Laundry Washing Machine:
About 13 per cent of household water is used in the laundry. Conventional top loading washing machines use an average of 120 to 150 litres of water each load.

• Reduce the number of washing loads in a week and save water by combining smaller loads and only washing when you have a full load.
• Adjust the water level to suit the size of your load and use the economy cycle, if your machine has one.
• If you are buying a new washing machine, choose a water-efficient model with a water efficiency rating of '4 stars' * (or greater). A water-efficient washing machine can use up to 2/3 less water than an inefficient model.

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: 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.

Water Efficient Appliances
Household appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers, toilets, taps and showers can use a lot of water. By checking the water efficiency rating when you next buy an appliance you can help save water, and save money on your water and electricity bills. The national, compulsory Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme has replaced the previous voluntary 'AAAAA' labelling scheme. The new scheme gives you nationally consistent water efficiency information and encourages manufacturers to design more water-efficient products.

The new WELS label has two key pieces of information:

• the star rating (more stars means greater water efficiency); and
• the water consumption or flow figures of the product.

Water Saving Products

Water Saving Tap Washers. Aqualoc is a specially designed tap valve that saves water and eliminates tap washer maintenance. Aqualoc's unique design provides a controlled, even flow of water delivering savings on water costs of up to 45% and savings on energy costs of up to 60%

Sink SwishMake your kitchen sink more efficient! The Sink Swish provides a steady stream or a powerful spray, rotating a full 360o to reach the entire sink for thorough cleaning. Achieve the advantage of a spray hose with more control. Comes in a 2 spray pattern and increases water pressure.

When the shower is turned on the Shower Monitor will display the current time, temperature and a full bar graph. As warm water flows from the shower it calculates the amount of hot water used and reduces the bar graph accordingly. The higher the shower water temperature and/or flow the quicker the bar graph will decrease, conversely the lower the temperature and/or flow the slower the bar graph will decrease. After a preset amount of hot water has been used a beeper will sound. The only way to turn the beeper off is to turn the shower off. If the shower is turned back on within the  adjustable delay period the beeper will come back on. 

The new water saving toilet suite is part of Australia's first 4A rated toilet suite range the first to introduce a 4.5/3L dual flush cistern in Australia, reducing water use from 6 litres to 4.5 litres for a full flush without sacrificing standard performance, so you can save water and trim your water bills.

Pressure reducing valve is ideal for retro fitting onto existing water meters. It gives a constant flow and pressure of water through out all water outlets in house.

        

Contact Kelly Plumbing today for emergency plumbing services.
Phone:  (03) 5447 1596