5 Ways to Improve Your Home's Plumbing Efficiency

The plumbing system in the average home uses far more water than required. Wasted water doesn’t only mean more pollution for city or county water customers, but it also means waster money on unnecessarily high water bills.

How can you increase the efficiency of your plumbing, reduce water waste, cut pollution, and save money? Consider these five simple solutions.

1. Upgrade to a low-flow toilet

The standards for water consumption in toilets have become increasingly strict since the 1990s. A toilet purchased before that era uses between 3-7 gallons of water to dispel waste every time the toilet flushes.

Today’s toilets use much less water. The allowable GPF (gallons per flush) of a toilet sold in many U.S. states today is 1.28. That saves more than 2-7 gallons for every flush, and more for dual-flush toilets.

2. Install faucet aerators

One of the problems with early low-flow faucets was that, while they did an excellent job of reducing the amount of water that came out, they did it by reducing the water pressure. The predictable result was that consumers grew to hate them.

Even people who like them tend to take longer to perform the tasks they need the faucet for. Comparatively, new faucet aerators reduce water consumption while keeping the pressure high.

3. Improve insulation

Pipe insulation does more than merely protect your pipes from freezing. Insulating hot water supply pipes also helps minimize the heat loss that occurs when your water flows from the heater to the faucet.

In between uses, it also helps keep the hot water that sits in the pipe when the faucet is off from cooling so much. That means the water will be warmer when you turn the faucet on, and you’ll waste less of it waiting for your water to heat up.

4. Upgrade to tankless water heater

A traditional water heater holds forty gallons of water or more in a tank, which it keeps near a target temperature (usually just below 120 degrees F). Keeping that water hot consumes energy, and when you’re sleeping or at work—or any other time you’re not using the hot water—that energy is wasted.

A tankless water heater instantly heats the water by circulating it through coils on its way to your home’s hot-water supply line, which saves most of that energy. And the money that pays for it.

5. Replace worn pipes

One facet of plumbing system efficiency concerns the supply of hot and cold water. Another concerns the disposal of waste water. A third concerns repair and maintenance.

When the pipes in your home start to age, water leaks often become a problem. Homeowners also often waste more water, allowing the initial rusty water to clear the lines before using the clear water that sometimes follows. Replacing existing plumbing whenever repairs are required will improve the efficiency of your plumbing system.

Some jobs are better left to the pros

Get free, no-commitment pipe replacement estimates from We Do Repipes, call 832-819-8337.