Water-Saving Ideas For Home

Climate change is here, and we Sydneysiders can certainly feel it. Every Australian knows that water is an increasingly rare commodity, but it feels like it becomes more acute with each passing year. 

With scarcity comes cost, so it’s no surprise many Sydney households are feeling the pinch of rising water bills. As local plumbers, Pav Plumbing wants to do what we can to help you keep bills down. So, we’ve pulled together these helpful water-saving ideas for home. We hope they go a long way in keeping your water bills down this summer (and caring for the environment at the same time!). 

Check for leaking pipes or taps 

This is a really obvious one, we know, but you would be surprised how many households endure a leaking tap, burst pipe or blocked drain. Letting water wash away like that is a big loss for the environment and also your hip pocket. You would be astounded by how much water a fairly innocuous-looking (or sounding) leaking tap can let drip away daily. Don’t put up with the drip. You may be able to get it to function properly yourself by simply tightening or replacing the washer. 

Wondering how to change a tap washer? It is fairly straightforward but if you’d rather someone else take care of it, call us for a blocked drain plumber. Our friendly plumbing service can probably fix leaking taps blindfolded, we have done it that many times! Why not call us in to conduct a root risk analysis (more on this below) simultaneously, as that’s where you might save plenty of pineapples! 

Check for root damage to pipes 

We like to think of a root risk analysis  as a plumbing stitch in time that saves nine (and then some!). So, what is it, and why do we offer this service? We love living in Sydney, and we think we’ve got some of the most beautiful suburban trees in the world. However, that foliage comes at a cost, and it can be a fairly significant one if left unchecked. As fabulous as our trees are above ground, their roots are another story. 

What’s happening underneath and around Sydney homes is a quiet, invisible war as tree root systems go head-to-head with pipes and drains. Let’s just say the pipes and drains typically come out second best. The result can be extremely costly for the residents affected, not to mention the hassle of what usually ends up being emergency plumbing repair work. 

A root risk analysis circumvents this and identifies the problem either before it begins or in the very early stages. Trust us when we say this is a problem you want to prevent rather than wait for it to reach dramatic proportions. Our root risk analysis is unobtrusive and relies on cutting-edge video technology to assess the situation and provide you with a full report. We can then chat through the options available to you (as well as the problems you’ve likely avoided). 

Toilet leaks 

It might not seem like primary suspect number one, but of all your household items, the toilet uses the most volume of water. Why? For the simple reason that it gets so much use day in and day out. Avoid large water bills by ensuring you don’t have any early leaking toilet problems. 

Rainwater tank pumps 

Installing rainwater tank pumps to gather and store larger volumes of water is a great idea to save money and water. If you’re worried about this being unsightly, look into some lovely native shrubs, plants or trees that you can plant around it. In no time at all, you will likely have a great feature area of the garden, not to mention a terrific water-saving idea. 

Other water-saving ideas for home 

So, we’ve stepped you through some great plumbing-related water-saving ideas for home. However, there are, of course, some other ideas you can consider to keep costs (and water usage) down at home. They include:

• Be more water efficient and keep your eye on shower time. As much as we all love a good, hot, steaming shower, if you can reduce the amount of time you spend on your ablutions, it’s an easy win. Take an egg timer with you and have your ablutions done and dusted before it runs out. Even better, turn down the ‘hot, steaming’ part a little, as that will also help keep bills down! 
• If you’re taking an egg timer into the shower with you, why not bring a bucket along as well? This is a great technique for saving water. Use it to collect water as you go, then use that to flush the toilet or wash the car. You can even use it to water the garden if there are no soap suds in there as well! 
• Speaking of buckets, pop a smaller one into the sink and use that to gather water as you do jobs such as washing fruits and vegetables. Again, you can then use this saved water for other purposes, including car washing and cleaning windows (and perhaps even replenishing the fur baby’s water bowl, provided there are no contaminants). 
• Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. We’ve never understood why people would keep water running - it doesn’t make teeth any cleaner! 
• Wait until you have a full load before turning on the dishwasher or washing machine. 

Contact us 

We hope these water-saving ideas for home have already started to save you money and water! If you’ve any questions about what you've read here, or you would like to contact our Pav Plumbing team, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help, and we’d be very happy to hear from you!