Saving water in your home
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Bathroom
Kitchen
Laundry
General Maintenance
Building Issues
We use a lot of water inside our homes - about 43% of our total domestic water use.
If everyone reduced their usage, even by a small amount, it would make a major impact to the total saved. Sometimes it is simply a matter of installing a water efficient appliance or plumbing fitting. Water is automatically saved whenever they are used. Look for the 'Star' ratings on many water-using appliances and plumbing fittings. In addition, we can save water by changing our habits, like taking shorter showers.
Ways to Save
Here are practical ways to save water in your home without affecting your lifestyle.
Toilet
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Dual flush systems
If you are building or replacing the entire toilet suite (i.e. pan and cistern), you should install a 6/3 or 4.5/3 litre dual flush unit. If you are replacing the cistern only, 9/4.5 litre dual flush models are available to match old style pans.
Check for leaks
A leaking toilet cistern can be extremely wasteful - up to 60,000 litres of water in a year. And you might not even be aware of it ! To check your toilet, place a few drops of food colouring in the cistern. Without flushing it, look for colouring in the toilet bowl. If it's getting through, you've got a leak, and it's time to call a plumber.
The toilet is not a rubbish bin
The toilet is a big user of water in the home, with anything from 3 to 11 litres needed for every half or full flush. It is surprising how many people use the toilet to flush away cigarette butts, tissues and other rubbish. Apart from the potential to cause problems in the sewerage or septic system, this practice wastes large volumes of water.
Bathroom
Catch the cold water
Water is wasted each time cold water is flushed from a hot water pipe. Keep containers near the sink and shower, and use this excess on the garden or indoor plants.
Fit a flow regulator to basin taps and showerhead to reduce the water flow to 9 litres per minute or less.
A Waterwise Rebate is available for flow regulators. More...
Showers
Long, hot showers waste water and power. So keep your showers short. Conventional showers use on average 12 litres of water per minute. A minute or two less showering time adds up to a lot of water over a year.
Low flow showerhead
Almost a third of in-house water is used in the shower - much of it heated water.
Older style showers use on average 12 litres of water per minute. Install a low flow shower head which enables you to enjoy a good pressure shower, with a reduction of water use of approximately one third compared with a conventional showerhead.
Modern '3 Star' rated aerated showerheads can provide better comfort. Models are available with jet variations from misty to needle-like, pulsating or pounding.
Low flow showerheads are available for both mains and low pressure hot water systems. It is important to match the right low flow shower head to the pressure of your hot water system.
Other shower fittings
Single lever mixer taps eliminate wasteful adjusting of water temperature as the temperature remains fixed from the previous use.
Volume control valves on showerheads enable the flow to be reduced or shut off in midstream while maintaining a balanced mix of hot and cold water. This makes it easier to shut off the flow to lather up or increase the flow to adequately rinse hair.
Shower timers are also available to limit showers to a predetermined time. Shortening showers to a reasonable time can dramatically reduce the total water use.
Basins & Tubs
When buying vanity basins
Deep, narrow basins use less water than a shallow, wide basin. A basin with a smaller surface area saves hot water by reducing the cooling rate.
Basins can be fitted with pop-up plugs, which automatically close the drain until a lever or button is pressed. These discourage running taps as the sink quickly fills.
Basin Taps
Stop leaks by checking for worn tap washers. A dripping tap might not appear to be wasting much water, but it quickly adds up.
Repair leaking pipes. A single leak over a long period can waste thousands of litres.
Don't let water run while carrying out tasks such as rinsing dishes, washing fruit and vegetables or washing your hands. A tap running strongly can use up to 20 litres of water per minute. People who regularly keep the tap running while cleaning their teeth may use about 14,000 litres per year in the process. You could save this water by using a cup.
Quarter turn taps provide full water flow and shut-off in only one quarter of a turn, giving you more control over the water flow compared with the conventional full turn taps which require several turns.
Spring loaded or electronic controls prevent water wastage from running taps by closing automatically.
Taps containing ceramic seats, instead of washers, reduce leaks, which are a major cause of wasted water.
Single lever mixer taps minimise water wastage by pre-selecting the hot-cold ratio.
Tap aerators fitted in bathroom basins reduce flows by up to half, however they are not necessary in baths. Aerators are ideal when washing effectiveness is more important than filling the sink quickly.
When buying a bathtub
As with hand basins, select a bathtub that is deep and narrow. Have it fully insulated to retain water temperature. This can be achieved with a bed of fibreglass batts. Ask your builder to insulate it as your bathroom is being fitted out.
Kitchen
Dishwasher
Even a dishwasher with a low water use rating can use the equivalent of two sinks of water per wash. Older models can use more - up to 40 litres. The way to save water is to run your dishwasher only when it is full. This way you will also save on your power bills.
If you are installing a dishwasher, compare the water use and design features of each brand.
Sink & Taps
Sink
A one-and-a-half bowl sink will save water if you use the half bowl and plug to rinse the suds off dishes, or while peeling and washing vegetables.
If you have a dishwasher, a single bowl sink may be all you need tor small hand washing tasks.
Aerating taps
Standard taps can run up to 15 to 20 litres per minute. Taps fitted with aerators or flow control valves reduce flows by up to half and provide 'softer' water with less splashing and improved wetting characteristics. Aerating taps are ideal in locations such a kitchen sinks where filling the bowl quickly is not a priority.
Laundry
Almost one quarter of in-house water use is in the laundry.
Washing Machine
When purchasing a new washing machine, compare the water and energy use of different brands and choose the most efficient machine that fits your budget. Front loading machines generally use less water than top loaders of the same size. Look for the 'Star' rating which indicates good water efficiency. The more 'Stars', the better.
As with dishwashers, try not to operate washing machines with small loads. Use water level controls, suds savers or different wash cycles if available to save water for particular kinds of loads. Low rinse and low detergent options are also recommended.
A Waterwise Rebate is available for some water efficient machines. More...
General Maintenance
Check for hidden leaks
Undetected leaks can be extremely wasteful and costly. A way to check for leaks is to read the water meter late at night and early the next morning to see if water was running while everyone was asleep.
Reduce the pressure
High water pressure increases flow rates from showers, taps, leaks and drips. If you have extremely high water pressure, a registered plumber can fit a pressure reduction valve at your property boundary.
Reducing your water pressure will also reduce water hammer.
Building Issues
Insulate hot water pipes
Hot water pipes can be insulated to save water and power by retaining water heat and reducing the need to flush out cold water from hot water taps.
Design your new home for water efficiency
When planning a house, locate the hot water system and bathrooms, ensuites, laundry and kitchen as close to each other as possible. This reduces initial plumbing costs and saves water and energy by reducing the flushing of cold water from hot water taps.
For further information about water saving ideas in the home contact the Water Corporation's Waterwise Helpline on 13 10 39.