useful water conservation tips
The intelligent use of water in the home can save large quantities of water. In order to streamline and conserve water use, take a number of important steps and if necessary consult with a professional.
Water Conservation in Your Home
Every household makes extensive use of water including for drinking, flushing toilets, washing dishes, laundry, showering, cleaning, cooking, etc. Due to the wide variety of uses, residents are ask to make sure they use water wisely, in order to avoid waste and to conserve this precious and vital resources.
The household consumption varies from person to person and ranges from 100-230 cubic meters per person per day, and an average of 165 liters each day. That’s a lot of water. .
Water’s various uses:
Toilet Flush: 55-60 liters of water (35%)
Bathing - 55-60 liters of water (35%)
Drinking, cooking and washing dishes = 30 liters (20%)
Laundry and cleaning – 8 liters (5%)
Gardening – 8 liters (5%)
10 Practical Tips for Saving Water at Home:
- Install a water saving device on your kitchen, bathroom and shower taps with a blue standard mark. This device is easy to install and reduces the amount of water used without detracting from the user’s convenience and saves about one third of the water.
- Close your taps when not in use. For example, while brushing your teeth and soaping yourself in the shower, shut the tap and reduce the amount of time your tap is open when washing the dishes.
- Operate the dishwasher only when it is full.
- Operate your washing machine only when it is full.
- Install a dual flush toilet in your restrooms that feature a half flush. Each full flush uses 9 liters of water and using a half flush will save you 18 liters of water per person per day, which constitute 12% of our daily consumption. If you are renovating, ask to install new toilets that use only 6 liters per full flush and 3 liters per half flush.
- Check your toilet for leaks. A leak in your toilet tank is a common problem and sometimes goes undetected. The repair is very simple and requires the replacement of a gasket at the bottom of the tank. A leak can be detected by placing a sheet of toilet paper on the side where the water exits. If the sheet becomes wet, the gasket must be replaced.
- Check for leaks in the apartment and the garden. Close all the taps in the apartment and the garden and look at the water meter. If there is movement in the water meter, this is a sign that there is a leak and you should consult with a professional.
- Repair leaky taps. Leaky taps waste large quantities of water, without you even noticing it.
- Wash your car using a bucket. Washing the car with a hose is wasteful and forbidden by law.
- Take advantage of the water that drips from your air-conditioning hoses to water plants, flower boxes and gardens.
10 Tips for Water Conservation in the Garden
Properly controlled irrigation can save large amounts of water. In order to make irrigation more efficient and save water, you should take a number of important steps and consult with professionals.
- Irrigation using sprinklers and sprayers, according to the water regulations, is recommended only between the months of April to November, from 17:00 to 10:00 the following morning, and all months of the year below the limited precipitation line. Water your garden during the cooler hours, when the wind isn’t strong, in order to reduce the evaporation of the water and prevent leaf disease.
- Grow plants that are known to be water-conserving.
- Allocate water quantities based on weather conditions and the needs of the plant.
- Equip your garden with water dose mixers or irrigation computers with a blue standard mark, in order to conserve water and protect the health of the vegetation. Monitor and maintain irrigation systems.
- Cover the garden with a generous amount of ground cover to prevent dehydration and over-heating of the ground and to reduce the growth of weeds in the garden.
- Divide the irrigation of your garden into groups according to the types of plants and the conditions required for their development. Adjust the type of irrigation to the different groups.
- Increase the irrigation spaces for plants and grass. This increase will help the roots to deepen and create stronger plants that are capable of absorbing more water.
- Cut your grass often. This will save a considerable amount of water.
- Trim your overgrown trees and bushes that waste water unnecessarily.
- Distribute large amounts of compost. Compost significantly improves the water’s penetration into the ground.
The Water Authority has created a calculator for calculating the amount of water required to water a private garden, click here for the calculator.
10 Tips for Water Conservation in Industry
- Check to see what the water flow rate is at the plant and prevent wastage of water at specific points.
- Replace the water cooling systems in the air conditioning systems
- Operate the water cooling systems properly and ensure minimal drainage.
- Increase efficiency of the reversed osmosis systems.
- Use the concentrate flow leaving the reversed osmosis systems for rinsing and internal use.
- Proper operation of the steam system by repeated use of the condensation water and its minimal drainage.
- Continual monitoring and usage of the steam ‘traps’.
- Reducing water consumption for cleaning purposes and moving over to water-less cleaning. For example: sweeping and vacuuming.
- Repeated use of the water at the plant.
- Using the last water used to wash the product for the first washing in the process of recycling water from the sedimentation pools at the cement plants and recycling water at metal coating plants and textile plants.
WATER-CONSERVING ACCESSORIES
The Right Tools - An Easy Way to Save
Water conservation is easy if you use accessories that help reduce the amount of water normally used in the home, at work and in public places. These accessories are generally easy to install and are inexpensive and cost-effective.
Dual Flush Toilet Tank
The dual flush toilet tank can be installed in all types of restrooms and enable you to select a full or half flush. For an existing restroom, you can select a 4.5 liter and 9 liter flush, and in new restrooms you can save even more water and select between a 3 and 6 liter flush.
How much water do you actually save?
Use of a dual flush toilet saves 18 liters of water per day, which constitutes 12% of the average water consumption. The new tanks save an additional 12 liters, which is an additional 8%.
Waterless Public Urinal
A public urinal for men’s restrooms is made from acrylic or porcelain covered with material that repels fluids. This type of urinal require cleaning only once a day and feature a filter installed at the bottom of the urinal with special chemical fluid that prevents odors. The filter is replaced from time to time, based on need and the manufacturer’s instructions.
Water Supply Regulators -Water Saving Devices
Water supply regulators save 1/3 of the quantity of water that flows through the tap without our even noticing it. The regulators allow for a steady and economical flow of water and are easy to install - simply screw it in.
Water Supply Regulator for the Kitchen Tap
This regulator allows for a steady flow of water from the kitchen and bathroom sinks. There are two types of regulators: a line regulator installed between the wall and the tap and an end regulator installed on the end of the tap, instead of the regular water filter that does not save water. After installation of the water regulator on the sink tap, water flow will range between 4 and 8.5 liters per minute.
Water Supply Regulator for the Shower Head
This regulator allows for a steady flow of water through the fixed and hand-held shower heads. The regulator is installed by simply screwing it in before connecting the shower head or between the battery הסוללה and the handheld showerhead pipe. After installation, water flow will range between 8 and 11 liters per minute.
Water Supply Restrictor for the Sink Tap
This device reduces the diameter of the water pipe and thereby reduces the supply that flows through it to the sink tap. It is installed simply by screwing it on the opening of the tap, instead of the water filter which does not aid in saving water at all. After installation the water flow will range between 3.2 and 10 liters per minute.
Economical Shower Head
This shower head features a water supply regulator or restrictor. The quantity of the water used with the economical shower head ranges between 4.5 and 11 liters per minute.
Economical Hand-held Shower Head
This shower head features a water supply regulator or restrictor. The quantity of the water used with the economical handheld shower head with a water supply regulator ranges between 4.5 and 11 liters per minute and the quantity of the water used with the economical handheld shower head with a water supply restrictor ranges between 4.5 and 13 liters per minute.
Taps with Automatic Shut-off Valves
This is a tap operated by pressing or pulling on a button, which closers automatically after use or after a set time. There are two types of taps with automatic shut-off valves: a drinking tap that supplies water as long as the button is pressed and a sink tap that supplies a set amount of water, which allows you to use both hands to wash dishes.
Taps with Automatic Opening and Closing Valves
A tap operated by a system of electronic sensors, without the need for manual operation. The tap works as the sensors detect hands approaching the tap and automatically close when the hands move away from the sensors.
A Garden Volumetric Valve
The 1” or ¾” garden volumetric value - enables a planned allocation of water supplied to irrigate the garden. The volumetric valve automatically opens and shuts the water flow based on the predetermined time and quantity of water.
