6 Plumbing Tips for Earth Day

In the spirit of Earth Day and all that it represents, we at Len The Plumber would like to suggest a few tried and true ways to go a little greener not just on Earth Day, but all year long. In fact, some of these changes will reduce your water bill and put some green back into your wallet!

Switch to a tankless water heater

Tankless systems provide hot water “on demand” which provides two important benefits. First, the faster the water heats up, the less water you waste. Plus, you’ll conserve energy as the water is heated only when you need it vs. 24/7 in a storage tank system. Tankless water heaters last longer and require less maintenance, too. Click here for more information about going tankless!

Low-flow showerhead

Conventional showerheads consume 2.5 gallons of water per minute. By switching to a low-flow showerhead, the average family of four could save 2,900 gallons of water per year. Be sure to look for the WaterSense label when shopping.

Dual-flush toilet

Still a relative novelty here in the US, dual-flush toilets first arrived on the scene in Australia in 1980, and are now commonplace there and throughout other parts of the world. Dual-flush toilets, as the name suggests, have two functions: a half flush for liquid waste and a full flush for solid waste. Converting to just one dual-flush toilet will help the average American household conserve nearly 15,000 gallons of water per year.

Attach aerators to your faucets

A faucet aerator is a simple but effective device that screws onto the end of the faucet and mixes air into the water. That serves to reduce the flow of water while simultaneously increasing the pressure. Most aerators are designed to conserve 2.2 gallons per minute.

Check your water heater temperature setting

At 120 F, your water will be plenty hot for all household needs. At higher temperature settings, you risk scalding while consuming excess energy.

Fix that drip

It’s costing you more and wasting your water! Click here to calculate what that drip is actually costing you.

There are plenty of other ways you can save water at home, such as not using your toilets as trash bins, taking shorter showers, replacing your washing machine and dishwasher with water-efficient models, and so on.

If we’ve sparked your interest with any of these “green” plumbing fixtures, just give us a call or schedule an appointment online! As always, we provide you with Same Day Service, 7 Days a Week and there’s never an extra charge for evenings or weekend appointments.