Wasting water can cost you money on repairs. The average indoor water use for a single-family home is about 70 gallons per person per day. Did you know that one leaky toilet will waste more that 200 gallons per day? Combine that with extra toilets, leaky faucets. A very typical leak of 10 drips per minute wastes nearly one gallon per day, or 29 gallons per month. In many places, this costs less than $1 per month. But what about fast drips? A faucet or shower head that leaks 120 drips per minute wastes 11 gallons per day, or 330 gallons per month.
Next thing you know you are having problems with your system. Each septic system is carefully designed and engineered for a predetermined amount of wastewater that needs processed. When these amounts are exceeded, you can overwhelm the system leading to system failure and costly repairs.
Efficient Use Of Water
High-Efficient toilets
Toilets account for 25-30% of most household water use. Older homes have toilets that have a 3.5 – 5 gallon reservoirs. Newer more toilets are designed to flush with 1.6 gallons or less. Replacing your toilets could in the long run save you lots of money.
Faucet Aerators and high-efficiency shower heads
Another way to save on water used which in turn helps reduce wastewater generated. These simple upgrades allow you to use less water per minute without sacrificing effectiveness. Of course if you were to cut your showing time down 2 minutes you could save up to 5 gallons of water per shower, per person in your family. At 2.5 gallons per minute the wasted water adds up quickly.
Washing Machines
Washing small loads of laundry on the large load setting should be avoided if at all possible. If you washing machine does not have a load size selector or they are old, you may want to consider switching to newer ones that are more efficient. Energy Star washers use 35% less energy and use 50% less wasting water!
Water Softening Systems
Not properly configured, these systems can add hundreds of gallons of water into your tank, possibly overloading the system. This extra wasting water can constantly agitate the contents of your septic tank leading to drain field flooding or even clogging. Consult with and experienced plumber before installation if possible to see if there is options available for routing such systems.
Hot Tubs and Pools
We really don’t need to put this in the list, but keep these in mind. Emptying large amounts of water into your septic tank will quickly overload it and cause failures. It is simply not designed to handle and process that amount of water in a short period of time. On top of this large amounts of chemicals typically found to clean a hot tub can damage the biological function of your septic system.
Chlorine and other chemicals can actually slow down the process, and actually lead to drain field failure. Wasting water not only hurts the tank, it can hurt your wallet as well.
You can be confident when you hire Martin Septic that your system will be correct for your property, anticipated usage and never wasting water. No matter who you hire, make sure to check references and reviews to make sure you are confident with their abilities. We are the local experts in the Port Charlotte, Venice and surrounding areas for over 30 years. Find out why thousands of your neighbors trust us to keep there drains flowing and handling preventative maintenance.
