Longer Days – Less Water
The best time of the year is finally here! That’s right- it’s almost Daylight Savings time! That means longer days, which translates to more time to get errands done, spend time with family, or enjoy your favorite TV shows! You may even take the extra time to enjoy a nice warm bubble bath, or maybe wash the car, but did you know that these things actually contribute to more water use, which can affect your piping system?
Daylight Savings
To begin with, what exactly is Daylight Savings? It is the practice of setting clocks ahead or behind at certain times throughout the year (usually one hour ahead in the spring, and one hour behind in the fall) in an attempt to make better use of the daytime hours.
The idea was originally thought of by a scientist named George Vernon Hudson from New Zealand. Hudson published a paper in 1895, presenting the idea of setting clocks ahead 2 hours in October and behind 2 hours in March.
While there was some interest back in 1895, the practice wasn’t popularized until Germany implemented it during WWI in an attempt to save fuel to be used in the war.
Save Water
Naturally, when the day is longer we find things to do to fill the time. Like we said before, some of those things may demand the use of more water, which is why you may notice an increase in your water bill this month.
Want to change that? We’ve gathered some tips on how you can use less water on your longer days:
Turn the water off when you’re brushing your teeth. Only turn it on to rinse the sink and rinse out your mouth.
If you let the water run to heat up before you step into your shower or tub, place a bucket under the tap to collect the water, instead of letting it wash down your drain system. You can use the water later to flush your toilet or water plants, saving even more water!
Turn water off when washing your hands. Only use water to wet, and then rinse your hands.
Install a low flow toilet. Some toilets are specifically designed to use less water, and there are even some that use no water at all (though those are not necessarily for everyone).
Going Green
Now that you know how to conserve water, why should you? To put it simply, because water is the most important resource we have on this planet, and we’re the only planet (that we know of so far) that has it.
IF we run out of clean, fresh water, entire ecosystems would collapse, and human life would cease to exist. It’s true. To put it simply, saving water can save the world.
Are you an environmental hero? Do you do your best to conserve water, especially during this time of the year, when the days are longer? If you’ve never been intentional about water conservation before, today is a great day to start!
If you’ve got any more questions about how your water use affects your pipes, or what you can do to make your home more water efficient, call A & A Plumbing at (210) 566-2665 to speak with one of our expert plumbing technicians.