Saving water at home

Saving water in the bathroom and shower

When people are hygienic, the priority is to save hot water, not cold water. To achieve maximum results, you need to exclude frequent bathing in the bath. Give preference to the shower, as the water consumption in this case is significantly reduced.

During water procedures with an average pressure, approximately 13-14 liters are consumed. fluids per minute. A shower lasting a quarter of an hour consumes much less water than a full bath. There are also many shower heads on the faucet, which, in turn, are designed to save water. Installing a lotion will reduce the flow rate to 5-6 liters per minute. The principle of operation of the nozzle is quite simple: water is dispersed inside the device, so the process does not deteriorate.

Install a single-lever faucet that mixes 2 streams of water (hot and cold) at once, minimizing consumption. Clearly place a reminder about saving water in the house. This will serve as a constant reminder for households, who often do not seek to save family money (the younger generation).

Don't forget to turn off the water when you're not using it. This should be done at the time of brushing your teeth, shaving, rinsing your mouth, scrubbing and other cosmetic procedures. If we talk about indicators, the listed methods can save up to 12 cubic meters of water per year.

Saving water in the bathroom

Some of the above tips apply to the bathroom as well. For example, the use of water-saving nozzles (including shower heads) or sink plugs. The following little tricks will help you save water as much as possible in an apartment with a meter.

1. Carefully check the toilet for leaks. You can do this by adding a little dye to the tank. If the water in the toilet changes color after a while, then the system is faulty, it needs to be repaired or replaced.

2. Old toilets were not designed to save water, so every time they mercilessly pour 10-13 liters into the sewer. Replace it with a more modern one, which needs 5 liters for a high-quality flush, and some even 3. The two-button flush is the greatest invention of mankind, which saves a significant amount of water.

3. If it is not possible to replace the toilet bowl, you can reduce the volume of flushed water using “folk” methods. Place one or more plastic bottles filled with water in the tank, securing them so that they do not hang out and interfere with the operation of the mechanism. By displacing 2-3 liters of water in this way, you will reduce the volume of the drain by the same number of liters. At the same time, you can demonstrate to children the practical application of the law of Archimedes.

4. We have already talked about the fact that a shower is three times more economical than a bath in How many liters of water are in an ordinary bath. This is true with a slight amendment: the shower should be "quick". Consider for yourself, about 150 liters of water will fit in a standard bath (along with you). A shower consumes up to 15 liters per minute. It turns out that if you bathe for more than 10 minutes, singing arias or playing with soap bubbles, then it will be more economical to do it in the bath than in the shower.

5. When taking a shower, try not only to reduce the time spent under it, but also turn off the water when it is not needed. Wet - turned off the tap, lathered, then opened. Do the same in the sink, while shaving or brushing your teeth.

6. If you need to rinse your hands, open the tap not completely, but only partially. Try to use cold water more than hot.

7. Do not confuse the trash can with the toilet, throwing everything in it and flushing it every time.

Drop by drop and the ocean

Perhaps older readers remember this song from the cartoon from the time of perestroika. Many have begun to understand its relevance only now, when the increase in the cost of a communal apartment is running in a race with a decrease in income.

Saving water should begin precisely with the search for such "drops" with which your family budget also leaks. It could be a leaky faucet, a leaky pipe, or a broken toilet cistern mechanism.

More or less serious leaks will help to detect a simple way. Leaving home in the morning, write down the meter readings, and check in the evening. If they have changed, it means that you have a large loss of water in your apartment. If you remain in place - do not rush to rejoice, because the counter may simply not respond to small "digging".

The results of my little experiment showed the following. If one drop per second falls from the tap, then a little less than a liter of water is collected in an hour. This is about 22 liters per day, 660 per month, almost 8,000 per year. Needless to say, if we are talking about a trickle, and not a drop, then the numbers will be much larger. Here is the ocean. Therefore, eliminate even minimal leaks in an apartment with a meter.

If your pressure is constantly jumping or it is too large, you can save a lot by putting a water pressure reducer at the entrance to the apartment.

How to save water in the kitchen

The use of water in the kitchen, one way or another, is associated with food. It turns out that the less you cook and eat at home, the less consumption. Sometimes lunch at a nearby canteen or fast food restaurant will cost even less than home-cooked. Plus saving time. True, this option is more suitable for bachelors and childless couples, so let's still go back to our kitchen and see how we can reduce water consumption.

1. When choosing a sink, give preference to one that has two trays. It opens up many more opportunities for saving water. In one compartment, you can use a flowing jet, and close the other with a cork and use it to wash vegetables or dishes.

2. Use special water-saving faucet attachments. They are able to reduce water consumption by one and a half times.

3. Train yourself to fill a pot or kettle with exactly the amount of water needed for cooking or making tea. By pouring "with a margin", you waste not only water, but also the gas or light used for heating.

4 family budget tips

4. Everyone knows that microwave ovens have a defrost function. But for some reason, many, in the old fashioned way, put frozen meat in the sink, under running water. Like, why waste electricity? It is commendable, of course, but since when did water become free? Believe me, the microwave will do its job faster and more economically. And the best option is to leave the meat overnight in the refrigerator.

5. Burnt or dried food residues should not be tried to be washed by zealous rubbing under a hot stream. It will be much more economical to fill the dishes with water and leave for a while in the sink. After an hour, washing it will become much easier.

6. It's amazing how many housewives wash dishes under the maximum pressure of water. At the same time, they are sincerely surprised when they find out that up to 100 liters of water are spent on washing dishes after 4 people. Therefore, if you want to save water in an apartment with a meter, you need to immediately get rid of this habit. Close the sink with a cork, fill it with warm water, wash the dishes, and then just rinse it with running cold water with minimal pressure. Similarly, you can wash vegetables and fruits.

7. Many people buy dishwashers to save time and get rid of routine work. And only then do they learn about one more of their pleasant features: the water consumption in the dishwasher is much lower than the “manual” washing. Modern dishwashers spend from 10 to 15 liters per cycle. For maximum savings, use it only at full load, optimally distributing items.

Save money while washing

Do not be too lazy to spend 1-2 hours of your personal time to carefully study the instructions and find out how much water and electricity the machine spends on each of the programs.The most expensive are the long wash cycles with double rinses. Before loading, inspect the laundry, find out the degree of soiling and select an adequate programme.

1. Wash when the drum is fully loaded.
2. Treat stains with a quality stain remover or wash by hand with laundry soap before loading the laundry into the machine. By doing so, you can select a more economical mode.
3. Do not include a double rinse if you can get by with a single one.
4. Whenever possible, use the "quick wash" program, it is the most economical in all respects.
5. Don't buy laundry detergents that don't rinse well. It is better not to use gels at all, firstly: they are difficult to rinse, and secondly: settling in a thin layer on the drum, in the filter and on the inner walls of the machine, it creates a breeding ground for fungi and microorganisms.

Find out how get rid of mold in the washing machine.

Teeth cleaning

At first glance, it may seem that brushing your teeth uses less water than any of our other daily activities when we use water. But if you keep the tap open for one minute, on average about 10 liters of water are consumed. How long does it take us to brush our teeth? According to experts, the whole process should last at least two minutes. And if you consider that all this is done slowly and unhurriedly in the morning when you wake up, it turns out that at best we spend 3 minutes brushing our teeth. It is easy to calculate that brushing your teeth takes 30 liters of water - without any special need. Meanwhile, this amount of water is enough to prevent dehydration and quench the thirst of the average person for 17 days.

Installation of a special crane

You can start saving water by remodeling your kitchen and bathroom. They need to put one of these devices:

Faucet aerator. This device allows you to reduce water consumption by 25%. In this case, the pressure remains the same. When the faucet with aerator is turned on, the flow of moisture is enriched with air bubbles. They keep the water from splashing too much.

• Mixer thermostat. The device will not allow water heated to a certain temperature to flow from the tap. With this device, you can save up to 3 liters of moisture per 1 tap.
• Touch faucet. The most effective tool for saving. Reduces water loss by 50%. But the cost of such devices is very high. The mixer turns on only when hands or dishes are brought to it.

Proven and most effective methods to save water share

Fortunately, there are many ways to save money and not waste water.

First, it is absolutely not a good idea to keep the faucet running while you brush your teeth. For this, just a small glass of water is enough - and water consumption will instantly be reduced from 30 liters to 300 milliliters.

Secondly, try to spend less time in the shower: the less you stand meditating (well, or singing), the more you can save.

Thirdly, when you change the toilet during apartment renovation, pay attention to dual flush models - they can significantly save the amount of water by choosing the required amount of drain. In addition, you should constantly monitor the absence of leaks - according to experts, a leaking toilet can lead to a daily consumption of up to 260 liters of water.

When washing dishes, try to use soapy water from the sink to remove basic dirt and only then rinse the dishes under running water. Do not leave the dishes dirty for a long time - the remnants of food will dry on the plates, and then it will not be so easy to wash them, which will require much more water. As for dishwashers, take your time washing one plate, wait until the machine is fully loaded.

Nobody forbids you to take a bath whenever you want, but try not to do it every day. In addition, if you do not take a bath so often, then the pleasure from it will be incomparably higher.

Repair all leaks

As the list shows, we lose up to 13,000 liters on some leaks. monthly is 13 cubic meters. Repair any leaks and adjust the toilet cistern.

aerator

This is perhaps the most affordable way to save money. How does an aerator help conserve water? The nozzle is screwed onto the faucet spout, thanks to a system of fine meshes and dividers, it mixes the flow of water with air, due to which savings from 15 to 70% are achieved without loss of jet density. Passing through the nets, the flow softens, the noise and the amount of splashes decrease, and it is much more pleasant to use such water. At the same time, washing dishes or washing soap off your hands is no worse than with a fully open tap without an aerator.

When choosing aerators, you need to proceed from your own needs. Experts have calculated that for comfortable use:

• kitchen faucet (dishwashing or water supply) a capacity of 3-5 l / min is sufficient.
• for a washbasin in the bathroom (fine washing, washing, brushing teeth) only 1.7-3 l / min.
• shower head 6-10 l.
• We consider it inexpedient to put an aerator on the bath faucet, since when filling the bath, we will collect 100-150 liters with or without a nozzle. With an aerator, this process will take twice as long, the water will cool, and irritation will increase, especially if more than one person lives in the house.

In standard mixers, from 10 to 16 liters pass per minute. water depending on the pressure and diameter of the tap.

Before purchasing an aerator, read its technical characteristics. Give preference to well-known firms that have already earned a good name. Do not be too lazy to read reviews or additionally consult with experts, because often, instead of water-saving nozzles, they sell beautiful toys that give an intricate jet or are highlighted, but at the same time consume the same amount of water as if they were not there at all.

The cost of aerators is from $ 0.6 to $ 16 per piece. It is very convenient to buy sets of 3 nozzles with different capacity: for the kitchen, for the washbasin and a limiter for the shower head.

Illegal way to save water

Having considered legal ways of saving, we can come to the conclusion that the amount of water payment will not change much. In such cases, one has to resort to the use of illegal ways to save money, namely:

1. Using a magnet is the main and, in fact, the only illegal way that entails a huge fine. For the most part, using a magnet in the meter results in huge water savings. But using a magnet will get you in big trouble.
2. Various devices. At the moment, there are a huge number of different devices, which, as their creators assure, do an excellent job of saving water. The use of such devices can lead to various consequences with your counter and a further fine, so it is highly not recommended to use them.

Remember, the system cannot be fooled. Organizations have long had a computerized accounting program. Subscribers are marked in red there, whose water consumption suddenly became much less than it was before. Not only statistics are taken into account, but also the number of people registered in the apartment. So, the check will not be long in coming. By manipulating the magnet, you make respectable citizens pay for themselves. Be smart and learn how to save water legally.

Let replacing faucets, installing a dishwasher, or replacing an old washing machine with a new one will save you a little less water than using a magnet or various appliances, which are more trouble than good. However, the choice is yours!

Responsibility for unauthorized interference in the operation of meters or how it is impossible to save on water

Management companies regularly check water meters. If the controller finds damage on the counter that indicates tampering attempts, this will lead to a considerable fine.

A special formula is used to calculate the penalty for damaging the meter. It is necessary to take the average throughput of a water pipe and multiply it by the number of days during which the meter was damaged and worked illegally.

If the controller failed to find out the last parameter, then the pipe capacity will be multiplied by the number of days that have passed since the last meter verification.

Fines may be as follows:

• 300 rubles. This amount will have to be paid if the seal was broken from the meter by accident and the controller recorded this fact in the act.
• The amount calculated according to the formula above and multiplied by 5. A fine is imposed for the use of magnets on meters, connection bypassing the meter.
• 300,000 rubles or 2 years in prison. The measure is provided for malicious violators who have repeatedly been convicted of fraud with meters or arbitrarily connected to the water supply.

Saving water is important. But today, not everyone is concerned about the problem of moisture deficiency. People continue to perceive this resource as something inexhaustible. This is a big mistake, which, fortunately, is not too late to fix.

It is not entirely true to say that for installing a magnet on a meter or as a result of other interference with the device, the owner faces a fine. Indeed, the costs increase, but are associated with the recalculation of the consumed resource.
The issue is regulated by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 N 354 “On the provision of public services to owners and users of premises in residential and multi-apartment buildings”. In particular, the recalculation is carried out on the basis of paragraph 64.
Against the background of infliction of significant harm, it is possible to be held liable under Article 165 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation “Causing property damage by deceit or breach of trust”.

How to save water in an apartment according to the meter methods for saving fresh water

To register a water meter, you will need a number of documents:

• act of acceptance of the installed settlement device (it records the meter number, date of installation, information about the consumer, representatives of the installation organization);
• technical passport for the calculation device (the date of installation and commissioning, as well as the primary indicators of the device are indicated);
• a document on the control of the water metering device (dates and information on meter checks are recorded, they are carried out every four years).

Water meters allow you to save water at times, and also bring up a thrifty attitude to the consumption of resources. You will have to pay only for the consumed water, because without settlement devices the bill amount is divided into registered residents.

Helpful Hints

These methods will help you save water in the apartment according to the meter, and, accordingly, the money of the family budget.

wash less often when the laundry has accumulated for a full load of the washing machine

It is better to do one large wash, instead of several small ones. This will save you money and reduce costs.

take a shower instead of a bath

It is not only economical, but also beneficial to health. It has excellent tonic effects and strengthens the circulatory system.

use less detergent

In this case, a triple saving is obtained. You support the environment, reduce the cost of detergents, reduce the cost of water.

do not pour clean water in vain

Try to spend any liter of clean fresh liquid with benefit. This will not only teach you to save money, but also to respect nature.

don't pay for rusty water

If the management company violates the quality of the supplied resource, then by law you may not pay for it at all. For example, if rusty water or with an unpleasant odor flows from a tap, there are constant interruptions in its supply. In this case, you can go to court.

do not pay for water with inappropriate temperature

Hot water in the tap must be of the appropriate temperature. According to the regulations, the temperature regime is 60-70ºС. If in fact the temperature is lower, then you can contact the management company to recalculate the amount for hot water.

buy a drinking water filter

This is typical mainly for large cities, where chlorinated water flows in apartments so much that it is difficult to drink it. Therefore, residents of megacities prefer to purchase bottled water for drinking. To save on this, purchase a special filter. Which will clean the liquid from impurities and odors.

We often waste water without realizing that we are losing money. Many will answer that these are some pennies. But if you think about it and calculate, then an impressive amount can turn out in a year. Now you know how to save water in an apartment with a meter and not spend money in vain. If you have something to share, be sure to write comments. See you soon!

Key Principles for Saving Water

Below are key principles and rules that can help reduce water consumption in an apartment with an installed meter. By adhering to these simple rules, you can significantly save on paying bills for cold and hot water.

Installation of counters

The most effective way to save money is to install meters. Paying for water, based on the norms of the highest consumption, is very unprofitable. It is more reasonable to pay the expense after the fact, especially if few people live in the apartment.

Meters will allow you to see with your own eyes how much water is spent during the month, and correct its use.

Plumbing is ok

Broken plumbing is not only annoying, but also devastates the wallet of the owner of the living space. If a faucet or toilet barrel is leaking, fix it immediately!

A tap can drip up to 4 liters per day (dishonest owners can leak all the taps in the apartment), and the current flush tank will use up to 14 liters!

A leaking toilet can be minor and harder to spot than a broken faucet. To check the operation of the tank, we recommend adding a little dye to the water. If after a certain period of time the bottom of the toilet bowl acquires a shade of dye, then the tank is leaking.

We recommend installing a mixer on the tap, it will reduce water consumption (up to 50%), while the water pressure will not become weaker.

Shower instead of bath

Taking a bath, as we managed to find out, is an expensive pleasure, approximately due to one reception, up to 100 liters of water are spent. It is economical to take an ordinary shower, on average, the consumption will be 3 times less ...

You should not deny yourself the pleasure of relaxing in the bathroom, but try to reduce the frequency of such a procedure.

Water saving shower head and water saving faucets

The specialized water-saving shower head adopts a diffusion plate design with few outlet holes (compared with conventional shower), faster water flow. Thanks to this design, while reducing water consumption, the pressure remains the same, plus it gives a feeling of relaxation.

As an option, the use of a specialized nozzle that allows you to save up to 50% of the water consumed, thanks to the principle of mixing water with air entering through specialized openings in the body. The built-in regulator reduces water consumption to 9 l/min.

Also, for the apartment you can put specialized mixers that save water. Such economical faucets allow you to significantly save water.

Cool water instead of hot

The principle is simple, cool water is more accessible than hot, when doing housework do not abuse hot water when you can use a little warm water.

Not all homes have a dishwashing machine, as it is not an urgent need.But washing each plate by hand in running water, we use more water than in a dishwashing machine, which washes the entire volume of dishes at the same time, using water at a very low (inexpensive) temperature. Water consumption is reduced by 5 times.

Economical drain tanks (modern two-button)

The price of such a tank is higher, but little by little, due to saving water, the price difference will be compensated. The design takes into account a pre-set water volume for each button, and not the consumption of the entire volume of the tank for one drain, as is the case with typical tanks.

Do not use the toilet for garbage. It is better to throw out garbage, and not to spend up to 9 liters of drinking water on its flush.

Not all regions provide compensation for water-saving devices. For example, when purchasing two-button toilet bowls, a discount is provided.

There is always a way to save, the main thing is to have a desire. For especially economical owners, we jokingly recommend drinking tea and coffee exclusively at work, this will make it possible to save on water up to about 500 liters throughout the year :)

Life hack: Water-saving faucets in the apartment

Some water savers are installed by default in new buildings, while others are left to be chosen and installed by residents.

water pedal

The pedal is convenient for kitchen work, because you do not have to turn on the taps with dirty hands (the mixer works as a regulator). It helps to rationalize water consumption - manufacturers claim savings and halving losses.

Plus, you always have free hands!

single lever mixer

Models with a double valve waste a lot of water, as it takes a long time to set the right pressure and temperature. The single-lever faucet solves this problem by adjusting the water parameters quickly and accurately. Such savings do not look serious, but you can buy something useful with the money saved over the year.

Mixer with thermostat

A thermostatic faucet is needed for residents of houses that have frequent changes in water temperature. If a person is washing, and hot water starts pouring out of the shower, this is both unpleasant and interferes with savings, because for several minutes, while the temperature is being adjusted, you cannot wash under it.

Faucet Dial W

Dial W is a new design project, not yet widespread. This smart faucet looks like a regular faucet, but allows you to choose how long water is needed before dispensing. Available modes: 5, 10, 15 seconds and unlimited stream. Water savings will be achieved at the expense of the consumer's responsibility, because he himself will set a limit for himself.

Sensor mixer

Up to 1 liter of water is lost while the person who turned on the tap carries his hand from the valve to the spout (the same thing happens before turning it off). These are drops, but if you calculate the cost overrun for a month or a year (and the tap turns on dozens of times a day), you get 1.5-4 cubic meters per year. The touch sensor allows the jet to flow only when the hand is already under the tap, contributing to the overall savings.

One click switch

The one-click switch is a faucet attachment. Water is supplied only when the user presses the button. The principle of operation is similar to the portion-pressure taps that everyone remembers from childhood - these were installed in summer cottages and in places of public leisure. There are automatic (15–40 seconds of operation) and manual shutdown modes. Water savings with a switch reaches 50% compared to a conventional watering can.

When choosing a one-click switch, it is important to know that:

• the nozzle has an external thread and therefore will not fit any tap;
• the water supply system must be equipped with a non-return valve.

Shower

Another part of our daily life is taking a shower. Some people claim that showering requires much less water than taking a bath - but this is another common misconception.Of course, water consumption depends on how much time a person spends in the bathroom, but again, it's hard to imagine anyone taking a shower for less than five minutes. And taking into account the fact that about 20 liters per minute are consumed during these water procedures, we can conclude that about 100 liters of water are spent on taking a five-minute shower. That doesn't look particularly economical, does it? And the fact that most of us spend more than five minutes in the shower makes it one of the most expensive activities in terms of water consumption. Nothing more economical than taking a bath.

Reduced water consumption for cleaning and laundry

When washing clothes, try to load the maximum number of things. Reduce your wet cleaning schedule to a minimum. Choose shorter programs on the machine (about minutes), they should be suitable for the type of product (silk, cotton, wool, linen, etc.).
As mentioned earlier, when the faucet is open, more than 12 liters of water flows per minute. When cleaning the apartment, do not forget about this aspect. Turn off the faucet every time you rinse the rags.

In a month, you will clearly see how the cost of water has decreased according to the issued receipts.
Pay attention to whether there are pump rooms / wells near the place where you live. Use additional sources of water, do not neglect them

Such a move will help you clean up at no additional cost. Few people know, but well water in most cases is much better than the well-known bottled water.
People living in private homes should pay attention to rainfall. As a rule, the device is installed under the roof. When there is a lot of precipitation, accumulate it in buckets or tanks. After that, water the plants with rainwater or use a rough car wash.