In the Bathroom

The bathroom accounts for about 65% of the water used inside the home. Since we waste the most here, it's also the area where potential water savings are the greatest – and, the easiest to obtain.

Reduce

A few water-wise habits will save you thousands of litres of water each year.

• You can save 10 to 20 litres of water each time you shave by filling the basin, instead of letting the water run continuously.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and use short bursts of water for rinsing.
• Turn off the taps tightly but gently so they do not drip.
• A quick shower uses less hot water than a bath in a full tub. If you prefer the bath, don't overfill the tub; 1/2 full should be enough.
• If you're taking a bath, put in the plug and turn on the hot water. Let it run until the water gets hot before adjusting the temperature with cold water.
• Flush the toilet only when necessary. Never use it as a wastebasket for tissue etc., and never flush paints, solvents or other chemicals down the toilet.

These are just a few examples. The more aware you become of your own water using habits, the more room you'll find for improvement.

Repair

To check if your plumbing system is leaking, locate your water meter and record the reading before going to bed, and again early in the morning, before any water use. Compare the two readings. If there is a difference, you've got a leak that needs to be fixed.

Leaking faucets can be deceptively large water wasters. A tap, leaking at a rate of only one drop per second, can waste more than 25 litres of water a day – that's about 10 000 litres a year. The larger the leak, the more water is lost. The problem is often a worn-out washer, which costs pennies to replace.

Depending on the faucet type and your skill with a few tools, you can probably fix the problem yourself. If you're a little hesitant, consult a do-it-yourself book. Kits sold in plumbing supply stores often contain all the information you need.

A leaking toilet can do even more damage to your water conservation efforts. A toilet that continues to run after flushing can waste 200 000 litres of water in a single year – enough water to fill a large inground swimming pool!

If the leak in your toilet is bad enough, you can usually hear the water running. That isn't the case with a small leak. Try this. Put some food colouring in the holding tank and wait about fifteen minutes. If the colour shows up in the bowl without the aid of a flush, you've got a leak. A silent leak like this can waste up to 45 litres of water per hour.

Toilet run-on usually means that the flush or flapper valve isn't sitting properly in the valve seat at the bottom of the tank. It may be that the valve needs replacing. This is an inexpensive item to replace. First, turn off the water inlet tap under the tank by turning it clockwise as far as it will go. Hold the flush lever down until the tank empties. Remove the valve assembly and take it to the store to ensure you get an exact match.

If the flapper is still serviceable, it may be that the valve seat has corroded or that there is an accumulation of mineral deposits on the seat. If that's the case, dry the valve seat with a cloth, and sand it smooth again with a piece of emery paper.

Kinked flapper lift chains can also allow toilet run-on. When they kink, they prevent the flapper from closing properly on the valve seat. Replace them with the ball-type link chain which is less prone to kinking. Pay careful attention to the way the old chain is installed as you remove it and install the new one in the same manner, following the same route.

A leak at the base of the toilet? Call a professional.

Retrofit

Toilets: If your toilet is more than ten years old, it's probably a water-waster, using about 18 litres or more of water per flush. Over the course of a year, that means each of us uses about 30 000 litres of fresh, pure water to dispose of only 650 litres of body waste – assuming 4.5 flushes per person per day.

There are many products that you can install in the tank of an existing toilet to reduce the amount of water used in a flush cycle. These devices fall into three generic categories:

• water displacement (plastic bag or bottle)
• water retention (toilet dams)
• alternative flushing (early closure or dual-flush).

See your local plumbing supply or hardware store to find out which type will work best for your toilet. Toilet dams are popular, because they are easy to install. They need to be checked periodically to ensure they have not slipped out of place. You'll save about 5 litres per flush using a set of two.

If your toilet was manufactured after 1985, it could be a water-conserving type which used about 13 litres per flush. These type usually have an insulated foam liner in the tank. If you have a toilet tank like this, try one toilet dam at one end of the tank first. Installing both dams in a set may cut water use too much and prevent the flush cycle from clearing the bowl – leading to double flushing.

Don't put rocks or bricks in your tank because they can break down over time and cause damage.

If you do have an old toilet, it may be time to replace it with one of the many water efficient models that are now commercially available. Plumbing codes are changing and, in may parts of Canada, 6 litre ultra low flush toilets are already becoming standard in new construction and renovations.

Ultra low flush toilets generally use a smaller water reservoir or tank and a specially designed bowl to give you the same flush power but with a lot less water. A model using 6 litres per flush is your best choice if you really want to save water. For example, a 6-litre flush means nearly a 70% reduction in water use over the standard toilet. 

Showers: There's nothing like a long hot shower – which is why the shower is the second heaviest water user in the house, averaging flow rates of 15 to 20 litres per minute.

Your best bet is to install a low-flow shower head for which a 9.5 litres per minute flow rate is becoming the standard. This means a typical household could save up to 1000 litres of water each week – not to mention extra savings on the energy bill. Again, plumbing codes are changing and, in many parts of Canada, these efficient showerheads will likely be the only type you will be able to buy within the next few years.

There are two types of low-flow shower heads: aerated and non-aerated . Aerated shower heads reduce the amount of water in the flow, but maintain pressure by mixing in air. It feels like a standard shower, complete with steady spray. With the non-aerated shower head, the water is "pulsed". If you're partial to massage showers, this one's for you.

Some low-flow shower heads have a built-in shut-off button. This allows you to stop the flow of water while you lather up or shampoo, and then resume at the same flow rate and temperature. Most CSA-approved showerheads and faucets will have their flow rates stamped on them, in either litres per minute or gallons per minute.

Faucets: Low-flow aerators can be attached to faucets as well. These can reduce the flow rate by more than 50%. They aren't recommended in utility rooms where large volumes of water are needed over a relatively short period of time.

Don't confuse low-flow aerators with standard screen aerators, which do not reduce the flow rate. Ask the store clerk if you're unsure.

[How waste water is treated]

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