Conserve Water
Water Saving Tips
Check for leaks. Turn off all taps and make sure that the toilet cistern is not filling up after flushing. Then check if your water meter is still running. Use your water meter to check for hidden water leaks. Read the water meter before and after a period of one to two hours when no water has been used. If the water meter does not read exactly the same, then there is a leak. Fix all leaks at home and report public water leaks to your local Municipality. Check the accuracy of your own water meter. After checking that there are no leaks, stop all water use. Fill up a bucket of a known volume, and see whether this amount is reflected in what your meter says has been used. If the water meter is inaccurate, report the inaccurate water reading to your local municipality. Read your water meter to measure your water use on a regular basis. This will help you and your family to identify hidden leaks and misuse or over-usage of water. Fix all leaks. Check whether your taps are dripping and replace the rubber washers/seals if necessary.
Check whether your toilet is leaking into the bowl. You can place a piece of toilet paper inside of the bowl at the back and see if it gets wet or pour food colouring into the cistern and see if the water is leaking past the flush mechanism. Check repeatedly over a period of at least half an hour after adding the food colouring to the cistern to see if the colour of the water in the bowl changes. If necessary replace the seals or the whole flush mechanism. If your toilet handle constantly stays in a downward position this means that water is constantly running. Replace or fix the handle to avoid wasted water. To reduce the amount of water that is used when the toilet is flushed: Put a plastic bottle filled with water or a brick in a plastic bag (to avoid bits breaking off and lodging under the washer and causing leaks) into the cistern. Consider replacing the flush mechanism with a dual flush system that uses less water every time when flushed. A dual-flush system uses less water for liquid wastes and more water for solid wastes. Flush the toilet only when odours make it necessary. (If it is brown, flush it down, if it is yellow, let it mellow.) It is not necessarily unhealthy if you do not flush every time after urinating.
Check to see whether your hot-water cylinder pressure release is overflowing. If necessary replace the expansion valve on the hot water cylinder. Consider installing hot-water cylinders that can work with solar panels. Save energy and save water. Insulate your hot water pipes. If you do, you’ll get hot water faster and avoid wasting water while waiting for the hot water to reach the tap that you are using and you will save money on electricity. Install a geyser blanket for insulation and insulate the copper pipes around the geyser. Check your hoses on washing machines, dishwashers, garden hoses. Replace hoses or seals where necessary. Install flow-reducing valves and aerators on your taps. An aerated water flow gives the sense of using just as much water as when using regular water fittings.
When buying appliances, choose those that conserve water and electricity especially when buying washing machines and dish-washers. Turn the dishwasher on when it’s full. Match the size of your laundry load with the water volume. Do not defrost meat or other food packages under running water. Defrost food overnight in a bowl of water. Use your microwave defrost setting. Only fill up the kettle to the level you need when boiling water. Always use a plugged sink or bowl instead of a running tap. Use a plugged sink to wash dishes instead of a running tap. Use less dish-washing liquid to reduce the need for rinsing. Use a plugged sink or a bowl to rinse vegetables instead of a running tap. Keep a bottle of tap water in the fridge for cold drinking water to avoid running the tap until the water is cold.
Use less water in the bath and when possible bath young children together. Shower instead of bathing. Take shorter showers. Turn of the water in the shower while soaping down. Install a low-flow shower head that reduces the flow rate of the water so that less water is used when showering. Turn off the tap while brushing teeth. Don't shave with the tap running. Rather sweep outside paved areas instead of hosing down with water. Use a hosepipe with a nozzle that can be closed after you spray your car down and wash your car with a bucket and sponge. Reuse water wherever possible. Water from rinsing vegetables can be used to water plants. Bath water can be used to flush toilets. Washing machine water can be directed onto lawns. Direct water from dish washers and kitchen sinks to covered trench drains in the garden that can provide water for trees. Park your car on the lawn when you wash it.
Collect rainwater. Use water tanks to collect the rainwater from your house and any out-buildings. Redirect the gutters to fill the water tanks. Use a fine mesh filter, piece of shade cloth, mosquito netting or a panti-hose to filter out leaves and sticks before the water goes into the water tanks. The netting will also prevent small creatures from falling into the tanks and drowning and will also prevent mosquito's from breeding in the water. Direct the overflow pipes from the rainwater tanks to top up swimming pools and garden ponds after the water tanks are filled. Rainwater that is collected can be used to water plants and lawns. The stored water will also come in handy whenever the local municipality has stopped the water supply for maintenance on the water supply system - especially for flushing toilets. Rainwater can also be filtered and treated for human consumption if necessary.
In the garden, water plants in the early morning or late afternoon when it is cooler. Watering in the morning decreases the chance of mildew. Avoid watering on windy days or in the heat of the day as the evaporation rate is much higher at these times. Adjust the amount of water that you use according to the weather and the seasons. When good rains fall, stop watering for a few days. Some plants require more water than others so try to group the plants with the same water requirements in the same area. Deep soaking at longer intervals encourages plants to develop deeper root systems and utilize moisture deep in the ground and this enables plants to thrive between watering and in times of drought. Adjust garden sprinklers to water the plants and not the paved areas in the garden. If you have the time use a hose to water the garden rather than unattended garden sprinklers. Never leave a hose running if you are called away to do something. Consider using indigenous plants for gardens that are drought resistant and require less water. Choose other plants with care so as not to introduce invasive alien plants. Mulch the plants in the garden. This works for pot plants as well.
Use Water Wisely
Be conscientious about what chemicals are introduced into the water that you use. Try to use detergents, cleaning products, soaps and plant fertilizers that are eco-friendly. When water is used and it sinks down to the water table it carries the chemicals with it. This in turn contaminates the earth's water system, our drinking water sources. Eventually the contaminants will return to us in our drinking water. Too many contaminants in the water makes it unusable for humans, plants and animals and then we have even less water to use. Water is already a scarce commodity on this planet and this is the reason why we have to learn how to use it wisely and conserve it.
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Andre Rautenbach
