Is Water Conservation a Good Habit?

Water conservation is definitely something we have read about or have heard something about over the last two decades, but do we really practice efficient water usage?

How will conserving water help our septic system? . . . The more water a household conserves, the less water enters the septic system.

In the USA the typical single family home uses almost 70 gallons of water per person per day. If we stop to consider all the showers, laundry, dish washing, toilet flushing or hand washing we should be able to see how the daily gallons used can add up quickly.

This average indoor water usage doesn't even take into consideration leaking faucets or toilets. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day.

Tips for Efficient Water Use

High-efficiency toilets

Toilet flushing accounts for 25 to 30 percent of your total daily indoor water usage.

Do you know how many gallons of water your toilet uses each time you flush it?

Most older homes have toilets that use 3.5 gallons per flush and some may even use 5 gallons per flush. High-efficiency toilets only use 1.6 gallons per flush. If you where to go to a plumbing supply store or one of those large home building material retail stores you would only find 1.6 gallon flush toilets.

Faucet aerators and shower heads

If you don't already have them, put aerators on your sink faucets. Aerators help reduce the water volume while making it seem as if more water is coming out of the faucet than there really is. Shower flow restrictors or high-efficiency shower heads are another great way to reduce your water usage.

The practice of water conservation makes sense for our septic systems and the environment.

Water Fixtures

As I mentioned before, leaky toilets or faucets waste a lot of water. Sometimes people just don't believe me when I tell them that something as simple as stopping the toilet from running or repairing a leaking faucet can solve their septic system failure. No, that little drip couldn't cause that. A small drip from the faucet adds many gallons of unnecessary water to your septic system every day.

Don't believe me. Try this test.

1. If you don't have a leaky faucet adjust one faucet so that it has a slow steady drip.

2. Place a cup under the drip for 10 minutes.

3. Multiply the amount of water in the cup by 144(the number of minutes in 24 hours, divided by 10).

This is the total amount of clean water that is leaking into your septic tank and system each day. Most people are surprised at the volume of water that a dip will generate in a 24 hour period.

Water conservation and efficient water use can extend the life of your septic system or in some cases it can actually remedy a septic field failure.

Water Conservation: How to detect and fix a running toilet

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Home System Maintenance Septic Tank Pumping How the Tank Works Septic Additives Conserve Water Contact Us N Wheatland TWP Health Dept. Links	Is Water Conservation a Good Habit? Water conservation is definitely something we have read about or have heard something about over the last two decades, but do we really practice efficient water usage? How will conserving water help our septic system? . . . The more water a household conserves, the less water enters the septic system. In the USA the typical single family home uses almost 70 gallons of water per person per day. If we stop to consider all the showers, laundry, dish washing, toilet flushing or hand washing we should be able to see how the daily gallons used can add up quickly. This average indoor water usage doesn't even take into consideration leaking faucets or toilets. Leaky toilets can waste as much as 200 gallons each day. Tips for Efficient Water Use High-efficiency toilets Toilet flushing accounts for 25 to 30 percent of your total daily indoor water usage. Do you know how many gallons of water your toilet uses each time you flush it? Most older homes have toilets that use 3.5 gallons per flush and some may even use 5 gallons per flush. High-efficiency toilets only use 1.6 gallons per flush. If you where to go to a plumbing supply store or one of those large home building material retail stores you would only find 1.6 gallon flush toilets. Faucet aerators and shower heads If you don't already have them, put aerators on your sink faucets. Aerators help reduce the water volume while making it seem as if more water is coming out of the faucet than there really is. Shower flow restrictors or high-efficiency shower heads are another great way to reduce your water usage. The practice of water conservation makes sense for our septic systems and the environment. Water Fixtures As I mentioned before, leaky toilets or faucets waste a lot of water. Sometimes people just don't believe me when I tell them that something as simple as stopping the toilet from running or repairing a leaking faucet can solve their septic system failure. No, that little drip couldn't cause that. A small drip from the faucet adds many gallons of unnecessary water to your septic system every day. Don't believe me. Try this test. 1. If you don't have a leaky faucet adjust one faucet so that it has a slow steady drip. 2. Place a cup under the drip for 10 minutes. 3. Multiply the amount of water in the cup by 144(the number of minutes in 24 hours, divided by 10). This is the total amount of clean water that is leaking into your septic tank and system each day. Most people are surprised at the volume of water that a dip will generate in a 24 hour period. Water conservation and efficient water use can extend the life of your septic system or in some cases it can actually remedy a septic field failure. Water Conservation: How to detect and fix a running toilet Return to System Maintenance Home Page
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