Water Saving Tips!

Spring and summer is the biggest season for water usage. But there are simple ways to stop the waste of this precious resource and halt high water bills.

1.) Locate and mark your main shut off valve. The main shut off valve is the valve that controls the flow of water into your entire house. If something were to burst this could not only cause serious damage, but a lot of wasted water. Marking this valve and making it easily findable in emergency situations can save you a lot of grief!

2.) Repair leaking pipes, valves and equipment. During the winter season, you may have had your house winterized. Once you switch over to spring/summer time use, turn on your faucets and fixtures that were winterized and check to make sure the valves, pipes, and fixtures don’t have any leaks that may have occurred from the freezing weather of winter.

3.) Make sure you completely turn off your hose bibs when you are done watering your garden. Although hoses that come with shut off nozzles work great in conserving water, turning off the hose bib when you are done will ensure that not a drop of water goes to waste.

4.) I know it may sound simple, but water can flow between 2-3 gallons per minute out of a faucet. When brushing your teeth or washing dishes, turn off the water if you are not using the water to rinse. It may not seem like much, but over time it can really add up!

5.) Did you know that your grass and plantings only need at most 1 inch of water per week? Keep tabs on the forecast and only supplement the watering when the precipitation is less than one inch per week. In fact, a good sized downpour can eliminate the need to water for weeks! I couldn’t believe this when I read it, but this actually got backed up by our shop neighbors who own a landscaping company.

6.) The best time of day to water your garden is actually in the morning. The reason they say it is better to water in the morning than at night is because the sun will have a chance to dry some of the excess water. If you water at night, the sun can’t dry off your plants and it may become the perfect breeding ground for all types of molds and fungi which can infect your yard.

If you know any other water saving tips, please feel free to add to the conversation!