Water Conservation

Reprinted with Permission form the New Jersey State League Plumbers Monthly Pipe Line

You should use the Dishwasher instead of Hand Washing. It may seem counter intuitive, but it turns out washing dishes by hand uses a lot more water than running the dishwasher, even more so if you have a water‐conserving model. The EPA estimates an efficient dishwasher uses half as much water, saving close to 5,000 gallons each year.

When washing dishes by hand, don't leave the water running for rinsing.

If you have a double‐basin, fill one with soapy water and one with rinse water. If you have a single‐basin sink, gather washed dishes in a dish rack and rinse them with a spray device or a pan full of hot water. Dual‐swivel aerators are available to make this easier. If using a dishwasher, there is usually no need to pre‐rinse the dishes.

Don't let the faucet run while you clean vegetables. Just rinse them in a sink or a pan of clean water.

Running tap water to cool it off for drinking water is wasteful. Store drinking water in the fridge in a safe drinking bottle. If you are filling water bottles to bring along on outdoor hikes, consider buying a personal water filter, which enables users to drink water safely from rivers or lakes or any available body of water.

Insulating your water pipes is easy and it's inexpensive to insulate your water pipes with pre‐slit foam pipe insulation. You'll get hot water faster plus avoid wasting water while it heats up.