Three Tips to Save on Water
Bills are a fact of life, especially with privileges like clean running water. The cost of running a home is expensive with combined utilities. Bills hit hard when people use appliances often, like hot showers in winter and sprinklers in summer. The good news is there are ways to shave off some dollars to make that bill a little bit lighter.
Redesign your garden
Green gardens are nice, but they require a lot of TLC with watering and weeding, especially in the summer. Sprinklers and spraying the hose around will make the meter creep higher and come month’s’ end there will be an expensive shock in the mail.
Desert and bush fauna are hardy and don’t need much care. Cactuses, succulents, Kangaroo’s Paw, Bottle Brush and Stuart’s Pea are some classics that you can plant and forget about for a little while. They’ll grow over time and some will flower. Just because you have a “desert garden” doesn’t mean it has to be barren.
Change the taps
WELS approved taps can save up to thirteen litres of water compared to regular taps. The Australian Government implemented the Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards Scheme to help conserve water supplies. It became law to have this rating displayed on products in 2006. Since then it’s been helping homes and businesses cut down both costs and water usage. The higher the star rating on a product, the better the efficiency.
Time your showers
Remember those little hourglass timers that came in the post? Probably not, because you forgot about them the moment you heard the drought was over. This old school method of saving water will be useful no matter how you time your shower. If you don’t have a WELS approved shower head, that’s 15-20 litres of water, per minute, down the drain.
Cutting your water bill doesn’t have to be a difficult practice. If anything, it can be an excuse for some home improvement. Plant some Stuart’s Pea, change a few fittings and use the egg timer for something other than making the perfect boiled egg. Frying your egg instead of boiling it will save you some cents, too.
Handling a burst pipe
April 11, 2017 by barrs_manager • News, Plumbing Problems • Tags: advice, burst pipe, plumbing • 0 Comments
Burst pipes or hot water systems are a confronting problem when they “pop”. They cause panic as well as mess. Plumbers confront these situations every day, and there are some steps you can take before they arrive.
Turn the water off
Find the stop valve as soon as you can and turn it. This will cut water to the property. Once you’ve done that, no more water will flow through the pipes. This will stop excess leaking.
Burst pipes are also a pain from a financial standpoint. At least by shutting off the water, you’re protecting yourself from the meter reading going up, and therefore your water bill.
Electricity and heat
Electricity and water don’t mix, plain and simple. Shut the electricity off as best as you can before finding the hot water. If there’s a burst pipe around the hot water tank, this is more dangerous. If you’re not careful, you can get injuries from the scalding temperatures. You don’t want a trip to the hospital on top of your plumbing issues. Plumbers advise leaving these pipes and areas alone unless you have training.
Start cleaning
Burst pipes are messy occupational hazards. One misstep and someone can slip and get a serious injury. After you’ve shut off the water, nothing else should leak. This makes it easy for you to get a broom or mop and start cleaning out the excess water.
After the plumber is done, or even while they work, get some antiseptic and wipe the floor down. Pipe water isn’t tainted unless it comes from backflow or a septic tank. It’s better, though, to be safe than sorry.
Handling a burst pipe doesn’t mean trying to fix the problem yourself. This can lead to more damage and some serious injuries. The plumber will know what to do so that the water flows again sooner rather than later.