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

Showers and baths

Install low-flow showerheads. The older the showerhead, the more water it uses. Most new showerheads deliver 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Some new models deliver less than 2.0 gallons per minute. Older fixtures can deliver as high as 5 gallons per minute. Pressures have been adjusted to the low-flow fixtures to deliver as good a shower as the higher flow showerheads.

Check your showerhead for leaks. Make sure the showerhead is screwed tightly to the wall and check the washer for wear. To fix a leaky showerhead or to install a new showerhead, you need an adjustable wrench or pliers and joint sealer or tape.

Now follow these steps:

• Shut off the water.
• Use the adjustable wrench to remove the old showerhead.
• Clean the threads to remove old joint sealer.
• Apply joint sealer or tape, using package instructions.
• Use the adjustable wrench to install the showerhead. (Use a cloth between the showerhead and the jaws of the wrench to avoid scratching your fixture.)
• Turn the water supply on and test the showerhead.

Time your shower to less than five minutes. Turn the water on to get wet, turn off to lather up, then turn back on to rinse off.

Use the minimum amount of water needed for a bath by closing the drain first, filling the tub only one-third full. The initial burst of cold water will be warmed by the hot water as the tub fills. When adjusting water temperatures, instead of turning the water flow up, try turning it down to balance the temperature.