Water is a way of life here on the Surf Coast. On any given day, from Geelong and Torquay down to Aireys Inlet and Lorne, you’ll see plenty of us locals in, on or around the stuff.
As a local plumber, I’m noticing that my customers are becoming increasingly conscious about water conservation. Makes sense to me – it pays to be smart about the way we use the tiny amount of fresh water available to us.
Did you know:
- only 3% of the Earth’s water is fresh (ie not salty seawater)
- 68% of that fresh water is tied up in ice-caps and glaciers
- 1 in 10 people on the planet don’t have access to safe drinking water (660 million people in total)
Dollars and (good) sense: saving water is a win-win situation
Whether your interest in saving water is driven by finances or concerns about the environment (or both!) the solution comes down to three elements – maintenance and repairs, investment (in water saver products) and good habits.
Maintenance and leak repairs
Leaking toilets, taps, showers and cracked pipes can all cause significant water loss. You may be shocked how much water (and cash) your household could be losing due to poorly maintained appliances or damaged fittings.
Did you know:
- even a slow leaking tap will lose as much as 24L per day (9000L per year)
- a visibly leaking toilet loses even more water than a leaking tap – 190L per day (66,000L per year)!
You can check for less visible leaks using the ‘water-meter test’. Take a reading of your meter before going to bed. Assuming no water is used overnight, your reading should be the same when you wake in the morning. If, however, the number has increased, then you may have a leaking pipe. A call to your local plumber is order – you’ll need help to track that one down.
Investment in water saver products
Choosing water saver fittings and fixtures could see you reducing your water consumption by a minimum of 20%. Considering that the average Australian uses 161L a day. That’s a saving of 11,761 litres (and plenty of dollars) per person each year!
Did you know:
- A 3-star water efficient showerhead will save around 14,500 litres per year
- A typical tap releases up to 18L per minute, while water saver taps use just 2L
- Replacing an older single flush toilet with a 4-star dual flush model will save up to 40,000L of water per year
Good Habits
The best thing about changing your water usage habits is that it doesn’t cost a cent. My advice as a plumbing expert would be to:
- Sing in the shower – most people spend at least 15 minutes zoning out in the shower each morning – a figure water-saving experts want us to halve. If you have a habit of losing track of your shower time, you might want to try singing along to some wake-me-up tunes as you scrub. I’ve worked out that the average song is around 3 minutes and 30 seconds, so two songs should do it.Tip: put a bucket under the stream while the shower is heating up – you can use it to water the plants later.
- Take small actions for big results – turning the taps off while you brush your teeth might not seem like it would save much water, but over the course of the year it adds up to hundreds of litres. Die-hard water savers might also consider turning the shower off as they shampoo or use a conditioning treatment (although, this is less appealing in the cooler months).
- Put a plug in it – avoid rinsing dishes under running water. Instead, use a plug and fill up the sink or (even better) place a tub in there so you can reserve the dishwater for watering plants. This works well for washing vegetables too.
- Do less laundry – this idea isn’t a hard sell. Make sure you only wash items if they actually need it and only run the washing machine if you have a full load. This should save water, money and
Contact Franklin Plumbing about water conservation today
For shower, toilets or tap replacement, leaking repairs and water saver fixtures and fittings, contact Franklin Plumbing. Because we service all locations from Geelong, Torquay, Anglesea and Jan Juc, through to Aireys inlet, Fairhaven and Lorne, no matter where you are on the Surf Coast, you can be sure a Franklin plumber is never far away.
