In this section

Tips for saving water home

Indoors

• Leak detection
• Toilets
• Showers and baths
• Faucets
• Laundry and dishwashing
• Additional tips
• Florida Water StarSM indoor resources

Outdoors

• Irrigation schedule
• Irrigation hours
• Irrigation amounts
• Irrigation methods
• Micro-irrigation, the basics
• Lawn maintenance
• Additional tips
• Florida Water StarSM irrigation resources

Faucets

Turn off the water as you brush your teeth, wash your face or shave. Faucets left in the open running position waste from several hundred to several thousand gallons of water per day.

A leak at the rate of one drop per second can waste up to 2,700 gallons per year. Check faucets regularly for leaks at the faucet head and seepage at the base and its connections.

Leaky faucets are repaired by replacing washers and by tightening or repacking the faucet stem. Do-it-yourselfers can find a variety of repair kits in local plumbing supply stores, home improvement/hardware stores and discount stores. Most kits contain detailed instructions and a listing of necessary tools. If preferred, a plumber can make repairs.

Check the amount of water flowing from each faucet. You can do this by opening the faucet and allowing the water to flow into a container for 10 seconds. Multiply the amount of water in the container by six to determine the per minute flow. If your existing bathroom faucet flows above 2.2 gallons per minute, install a low-flow aerator or replace the faucet with a model that uses 1.5 gallons per minute or less. For a bathroom faucet, a 1.5 gallons per minute flow will provide enough water for personal hygiene needs. For a kitchen faucet, you will want 2.2 gallons per minute of flow to make sure the flow of water is enough to wash and rinse dishes.

Faucet aerators are circular screened disks, usually made of metal, that are screwed onto the head of the faucet to reduce flow. Aerators for kitchen faucets are available with a variety of spray patterns and flow-control features. You may want to use a low-flow aerator with an on/off flip handle that allows you to increase or reduce the flow as needed. Faucet aerators require periodic cleaning of grit and scale buildup that may inhibit flow.