Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Mon, Jul 26, 2010
Old Habits of Water Conservation
If you’re into water conservation, you’ve probably heard the eco-ditty: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” It refers, of course, to toilet flushing habits. The idea is that less flushing conserves more water. While an admirable sentiment, the practice can be startling to unprepared Lorain County homeowners or their visitors. The solution is to have your Lorain County plumbing professional install dual-flush toilets. Dual-flush toilets let you save water without offending your grandmother’s sensibilities when she raises the toilet lid.
New Water Conservation Habits
Newer, water-efficient toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Older toilets, however, use 4 to 6 gallons of water per flush. Dual-flush toilets are designed to use less water to flush waste. First developed in Australia in 1980, dual-flush toilets are just beginning to become popular with mainstream America. States where drought conditions are common were among the first to embrace and promote their use. Dual-flush toilets use a half flush for liquid waste and a full flush for solid waste, chopping water use in half. Users choose the amount of water to be used by pushing the toilet handle one way for a half flush or in the other direction for a full flush.
Results of Poor Water Conservation
By 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 36 states will be fighting serious water shortages brought on by drought, inefficient water management, increased consumer demand and aging water system infrastructures. The Southwest and portions of California have been struggling with water shortages and been forced to impose strict water rationing for years.
Current News On Water Conservation
Dual-flush toilets are now a standard feature in green building designs. When the U.S. National Park Service constructed a new visitors’ center at Denali National Park in Alaska, dual-flush toilets were installed in all the restrooms.
Conserve Water And Save Money
Installing dual-flush toilets decreases your water use (good for the environment) while decreasing your water and sewer bills (good for your bank account). Definitely a win-win choice!
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Thu, Jul 08, 2010
How Much Water do You Use? Gauge Your Personal Water Consumption
Water conservation is becoming an increasingly important issue. In order to start saving water, it helps to know how much water you use for common tasks. Lorain County residents can use this handy guide to gauge their personal water consumption. We’ve also provided helpful suggestions for cutting water use.
- Shower. Letting the water run continuously during a 10-minute shower uses 50 gallons of water. Cutting shower time to 5 minutes decreases water use by 50% to 25 gallons. If you like long showers, install a low-flow shower head which decreases water use by 50%.
- Bath tub. Filling a standard-sized bath tub uses 36 gallons of water. Filling your tub only half full uses just 18 gallons, decreasing water use by 50%.
- Toilet flushing. Depending on tank size, standard toilets use 5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. Placing a displacement bag inside the tank reservoir cuts water use to 4 to 6 gallons. Replacing your toilet with a low-flow toilet that uses just 1.6 gallons of water decreases water use by 73%.
- Washing hands. Washing up while the tap runs uses 5 gallons of water. Filling the basin to wash your hands uses just 1 gallon of water, a water savings of 80%.
- Brushing teeth. Running the tap continuously while you brush your teeth uses 10 gallons of water. Turning on the water only to wet your brush and periodically rinse it uses just 1 gallon of water, a 90% savings.
- Dishwasher. Turning your dishwasher on for a full cycle uses 16 gallons of water. Using the short cycle uses only 7 gallons, a 56% savings.
- Hand wash dishes. Washing dishes by hand with the tap running continuously uses 30 gallons of water. Washing and rinsing dishes in a filled sink uses only 10 gallons of water, a savings of 66%.
Your Plumber Can Tell You About Water-Conserving Plumbing Products
See your local Lorain County plumbing professional for water-conserving plumbing products.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Wed, Apr 21, 2010
April 22 is Earth Day! Helpful Tips to Conserve Energy at Home.
Tomorrow is Earth Day which is a good time to take a close look at the way you and your family use our planet’s resources. Rather than a one-day effort, though, Earth Day should be just the first day of a life-long commitment to using the Earth’s natural resources more wisely and more sparingly. Environmentalists warn that energy consumption and water consumption are two of the biggest challenges we face as stewards of our planet. There are many things – some big, some small -- that you and your family can do to help conserve energy and water resources all year round. Some things are simple and you can do yourself. Bigger projects may require a little help from your trusted Lorain County plumbing, heating and cooling expert.
Here’s a list of conservation measures to get you started:
- A 5-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons of water. Save water by turning off the faucet while you suds up, turning it back on to rinse off.
- Water flows from faucets at a rate of 2 gallons per minute. Cut water use by turning the water off while brushing your teeth and saving.
- Install aerators in faucets and a low-flow shower head to decrease water flow. When combined with not letting the faucet run, you can decrease water usage by 50%.
- 1 drip a second from a faucet uses approximately 2700 gals of water a year. Fix leaking faucets and toilets
- Run the dishwasher only when it’s full.
- Hold off on the laundry until you have a full load.
- Park your car on the lawn when you wash it and you’ll water the lawn at the same time.
- Have your Lorain County cooling, heating and plumbing expert install energy efficient appliances. An energy efficient furnace, air conditioner and hot water heater will save you money on every bill and help protect the planet at the same time.
"Green" your home on Earth day by replacing energy-guzzling appliances with energy-efficient appliances. Schedule a Free estimate on all energy-efficient installation projects.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Wed, Jan 20, 2010
Start Saving Water Now Before we are Forced to Choose Between Driking Water and Using it for Santitation
“No Loo? No I do.” is the catchy, chuckle-inducing jingle that is responsible for the construction of 1.4 million toilets in India. But a lot of young men aren’t chuckling. In rural India, new brides are refusing to walk down the aisle unless the groom promises them a toilet. “No Toilet, No Bride” is the slogan of a women’s rights campaign geared to bring indoor plumbing to rural India where half the population – nearly 665 million people – still lacks access to private toilets.
Community toilets and latrines or the open fields are often the only lavatory option in the small villages that dot India’s countryside. Lack of modern sanitary facilities is more than a lack of convenience. Poor sanitation can spread diseases like typhoid, diarrhea and malaria. Women are driving change with new-found social power. They want bathrooms with modern toilets and it looks like they’re going to get them. As one love-struck 22-year-old recently commented to The Washington Post, “I will have to work hard to afford a toilet. We won’t get any bride if we don’t have one now.”
India’s privy plight might bring a chuckle, but it should also make us appreciate what we have. Of course, climatologists warn that if we don’t start conserving our water supply, the day may come when we don’t have enough water to flush our nice, modern toilets. Last summer, severe drought in California, Georgia and the Southwest had some folks catching shower, bath and dirty dish water in buckets and using it to flush their toilets. Some fear that climate change will force us to eventually choose between drinking water and using it for sanitation. Scientists are urging people to start saving water now before we reach a crisis point.
Find out what you can do! Water conservation tips you can implement at home.
Water saving toilets qualify for the energy-efficient tax credit. Save substantially on your monthly energy bills and help the environment at the same time!
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Dec 18, 2009
Save Water with an Energy-Efficient Energy Star Water Heater
With global warming, saving water has become a group effort. Having your plumbing professional install water-efficient low-flow and dual-flush toilets can cut a family’s water use by as much as one-third. Trading in your old hot water heater on an energy-efficient Energy Star water heater can also result in significant savings in both water and energy. But not all water-saving efforts need to be major changes. There are also plenty of things you can do around your home to save water. Most take little effort and will result in a nice savings on your water bill. Good for you and the planet!
Water Saving Tips at Home
- Install twist-on aerators on sink faucets to reduce water use.
- Install a low-flow shower head in the shower. Practice the art of the quick shower or turn off water while you suds up, turn on to rinse off.
- Turn off water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Wait until you have a full load to run dishwashers and clothes washers.
- Instead of washing fruits and veggies under a running tap, wash them in a pan of water.
- Buy a rain barrel and use collected rain water to irrigate your garden.
- When you wash your car, don’t let the hose run. Park your car on the grass so water soaks into your lawn.
- Use a broom, not a hose to clean your driveway.
- Turn off automatic lawn sprinklers when it rains and use a timer to regulate watering.
- Use a soaker hose to water plants. Overhead sprinklers waste water, but soakers direct water right to plant roots.
- Mulching garden beds will decrease evaporation and help soil retain moisture.
- Plant native plants that require less watering.
Contact your plumbing professional to install an energy-efficient Energy Star water heater or for more water saving advice.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Fri, Dec 04, 2009
Did you know that while 70% of our planet is covered by water, only 3% of it is fresh water, the kind we drink and use? And most of the Earth’s fresh water is frozen in the polar ice caps or in mountain glaciers. Only 1% of the fresh water on our planet is available for human use. With more than 6 billion of us competing for every drop, there’s just not enough water to go around. By 2025, the United Nations estimates that two-thirds of the world’s people will live in areas without enough potable water to meet their needs. Water is such a vital component of human survival – we die without it -- that many politicians believe the world’s next great war will be fought over water rights. “Blue gold” is quickly becoming the planet’s most valuable commodity.
Environmentalists believe that the long-term droughts being experienced in California, Australia and parts of Africa are a harbinger of even more severe weather conditions that will plague the planet in the not so distant future. People are being urged to start saving water now in the hope of averting a major disaster. Flushing your toilet is the single greatest water consumer in most homes. Asking your plumber to replace out-dated water-guzzling toilets with modern low-flow and dual-flush toilets can save the average U.S. family of three at least 21 gallons of water a day and more than 7,000 gallons of water a year. With most folks paying premium prices for water service these days, installing more efficient toilets in your home can significantly decrease those expensive water bills.
The experienced professional plumbers at Raymond Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning can guide you in selecting water-efficient toilets appropriate for your family’s needs and provide expert professional installation.
If you want to cut your family’s water usage, give the plumbing experts at Raymond a call.