Water Saving Tips (For Everyone!)

Hi guys, with the drought happening all over NSW and parts of Australia, I think it's imperative that we ALL do our part in conserving water.
Not just for the monetary gain, but more so because this is a rather finite resource that's taken for granted (because of the humble tap).

Long time ago, people that wanted to wash their horse, hut, vegetables, bodies, clothes they walked to a Well with a bucket.
Now you simply turn on the tap and expect this fresh water to gush out with minimal effort.

Just to give you a crude but simple analogy, at work one of the levels had a water outage for few hours. This meant that no-one could use the two kitchens to wash/drink, etc. Had you seen the look on people's faces when they turned the tap on and 1 drop came out, it was shock.
People that went to fill up their canisters were disappointed, others had dirty hands from lunch where they couldn't wash, others walked back with an empty mug that was supposed to be coffee/tea…this was only 2-3hrs!

Let's all keep in mind that Water is a valuable source,

Here are my tips:

  • Close the tap when flossing/brushing teeth/shaving (when not using it)
  • Bucket Mop the balcony not hose (uses more effort but see it as exercise)
  • When boiling Kettle at home for Tea/Coffee - use measuring cups instead of filling the kettle to max
  • Keep a bucket handy in the shower, when you're waiting for the hot water to come, this could easily be 4L of fresh cold water - catch this in a bucket if you have a Mixer Shower and use it to water plants!
  • If you have a good quality Dishwasher, use that instead of spending 15L of manual water, a water-efficient DW on quick run only uses 8L for a full load.
  • Most of all, be a water ambassador for the family, if you see members wasting water point it out, don't be afraid to admonish them.
    Until someone can create water from their bare hands, they have no leg to stand on this argument

Any more ideas???

Comments

  • +35

    Hi guys, with the drought happening all over NSW and parts of Australia, I think it's imperative that we ALL do our part in conserving water.

    I absolutely 100% applaud this sentiment. And just for the record, I have water-saving fixtures to all my stuff, I don't have a garden or grow anything needing water, and I hand-wash my car with a bucket (on the rare occasion I wash it at all). Just to get my water-saving cred in order.

    But just to provide some context and perspective, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for 2015-2016, usage is:

    1. Agriculture - 9,604 Gigalitres (for which they paid $686 Million total);
    2. Water Supply Industry - 2,014 Gigalitres (for which they paid $2,076 Million total);
    3. Other Industries - 2,615 Gigalitres (for which they paid $2,583 Million total); and finally
    4. Domestic Consumption - 1,899 Gigalitres (for which we paid $5,406 Million total).

    So we use about 20% of the water that agriculture uses, and pay about 9x more for it - as a rate, that means we pay about 45x more per Litre of water.

    Still no reason not to save water where you can, but now you're more informed.

    • +6

      It's a poor comparison because urban water is higher quality and most of the cost goes to infrastructure.

      • +1

        I'm not really complaining, either about the proportion of usage or the cost - again I do my bit to save water. But in absolute terms of the quantity of water, especially since "our farmers need more water" is the most visible drought-issue at the moment, while every drop counts, consumer savings are still a literal drop in the bucket.

        • Reading from somewhere…

          Agriculture uses PART recycled water instead of drinking water for crops, so ASSUMING it would be cheaper as the quality will be lower than drinking water.

    • Username checks out.

    • I have a small home grown veggie garden, and water them cost like $100 bills a month. So I have to save rain water, or waste water that I use to wash veggie every day. I often clean veggie 3 times which is around 1-2 buckets a day enough to water the whole garden : )

  • +17

    it breaks my heart when I see water leaking in a public area

    • +1

      I've always always closed them where I can,
      For the ones locked, I email the council

    • +1

      Yup. I've called council a few times when I've seen water bubbling from (presumably) a burst water main on the street. All that clean potable water literally going down the drain =/. Also, one such leak probably wipes out about a whole residential street's worth of water savings for a month.

  • +24

    Does anyone really sit there with the tap running while brushing their teeth or shaving?

    • +8

      When this happens in a movie or on TV, I can only focus on this utter waste of water.

    • Does anyone not?

    • People at my work do this after lunch.

      • Just to confirm, do you mean they leave the tap running after, say, going to the toilet?

        • +2

          People in my building:
          - Cannot use a toilet properly (mess everywhere, left unflushed, blocked and overflowing)
          - Don't wash their hands after using the toilet (not even a rinse)
          - Brush their teeth in the toilets with the tap running
          - Leave taps dripping

        • +1

          @psyren89: I hope I don't work where you work!

        • +2

          @psyren89: I hear you…unfortunately it's the same in most office buildings with more than say 100 people.

          I hate using workshop toilets they are usually even worse.

        • @psyren89:
          Not washing hands after using the toilet and leaving the toilet not flushed?

          Maybe they are saving water!?

    • Does anyone really sit while they brush their teeth?!

    • -1

      i do this, as i grew up in a country that never had droughts, and that was just the way everyone brushed their teeth. It drives my wife craaaazy, if she hears the tap on in the bathroom she rushes in and switches it off while i'm trying to brush my teeth :)

      • My wife used to leave the tap on also (the pump was turned off many times on her as a result, including mid shower) needless to say, I no longer need to turn off the pump!

  • +1

    use rain water to fill up those swimming pools. mine piped directly off the roof through some filter medium and straight into the swimming pool

    • Is that safe? In school I learnt rain water is acidic… (unsafe to drink as is and long exposure such as swim or bathe)

      • +1

        That's why most swimming pools.have a bucket load of chemicals added to balance it out as well filtration. I have a 50k ltr pool. the rain captured this weekend is probably about 500 litres. Which is nothing but enough to keep the pool functioning.

      • Tell that to my 26 Aquariums & my cars with spotless Paintwork!

      • you have to add like 1L of hydrochloric acid to a pool couple of times a year just to keep the pH correct :)

      • +2

        Rainwater is completely safe. Unless you live in a highly industrialised part of a 3rd world country, acid rain isn't a thing.

        Did you know, outside of the city that most people use rainwater for drinking, bathing etc. Most do so without filtration too.

  • +1

    Those old style mens urinal/piss pot that constantly flushes every 56 seconds. What a waste! Pls change it to manual, PLEEEAAASSEEE?!

    • +1

      I thought even the automatic ones are now activated by a sensor, not just on a set schedule right? That would be crazy wasteful.

      • There are some older public buildings & still uses these. :(

  • +6

    the worst part is when they leave water in these big dams and the stuff literally evaporates

    • LOL! Here's my vote sir

  • +1

    "Until someone can create water from their bare hands, they have no leg to stand on this argument"

    I have spring water on my land in an area of good rainfall. Actually I can waste as much as I want, and have plenty of legs to stand on.

    • -1

      so you;re happy to flush and waste water?
      Even the Nile is at risk of being dried out soon….

      • +3

        Your advice 'for everyone' about saving water at the start of a shower makes zero sense if spring water is available on your property. I wash my hands out of a tap that is never turned off. That's how springs work.

      • I think Frugal Rock has a natural water spring on his property. I don't think they can turn it off even if they wanted to. I guess an option is to divert it into a water storage tank? But I'm sure that'd over-flow fairly quickly, and I'm not aware of any way (unlike power) to divert it back to our potable water supply.

  • -5

    P.S having a rain water tank doesnt exclude you from being a water saver…

    my neighbor has a 1,000L water tank but now he's washing his car every 2nd day because he sees it as free water…
    that's not any better either…

    • +7

      It depends. If it's about to rain and your rain water tank is already full, then it's literally a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. Rain water just ends up down the drain anyway after all.

    • I hope its not a brand new car. :D

    • +1

      Should I wash my car?

      • +1

        Is it financially viable to?

    • a regular garden hose sprays water at a rate of about 90L/min, according to google. So that water tank only lasts your neighbour 11mins of washing at a time..
      Those tanks run out surprisingly quick. Ours is 3,000L i think, and use it to water the garden and doesnt last v much at all

      • Have you… have you ever washed a car? Standing there with the hose turned on 100% for even a full minute is an eternity. Even before I changed to using buckets, I don't think I ever used more than 5mins, total, of hose-time per car wash. About a minute or two to spray down the car, about a minute or two to hose it down after.

  • +3

    I mean if the stories are true you could cut down on water intensive food (meat, poultry, etc) and buy less water intensive used/grown food like vegetables? I have no clue but yeah the statistic that I think it was something like one pound of beef needed x amount more litres of water compared to other food item has always stuck with me.

    I am pretty water conscious but my worst offender would be washing the dishes.. I am really gratuitous with the water on certain items usually big post and pans and especially if they have oil.

    Thinking about moving to a dishwasher for less labour and less water but I have a feeling with my current housemates something will go wrong no matter what I say or do so am not ready to potentially gamble/sacrifice one yet unless a super special ozbargain deal comes up some time soon.

    Also same reason I still haven't jumped on a Xiaomi robot vacuum yet.. lots of room and potential for something to go wrong and then there is $300 AUD down the drain.

    • I mean if the stories are true you could cut down on water intensive food (meat, poultry, etc) and buy less water intensive used/grown food like vegetables?

      Definitely, and I think the world will transition (slowly) to this sooner or later. The problem with this of course, is that if the point is to help our farmers who need the water - then doing this would literally put them out of business even faster.

      • +2

        Lol what a goose chase or catch 22. I honestly did not think of that but it's funny now that you mention it.

        Every time I don't want to eat meat I just think of the movie Babe.. 60% of the time it works every time.

  • I wish I could do tip 4, but during winter when I want a warm shower, the garden is waterlogged from the rain anyway! It's such a waste to me.

    • Do you have pot plants at home? maybe use that water there….

  • +2

    Pro tips.

    1. Shower with others. The more the merrier!
    2. Buy a dishwasher. 12-15l vs 25l minimum without rinsing in a sink.
    3. Wash car by driving in the rain.
    4. Front load washing machine. 40-50l compared to 150-200l+ top loader.
    • +1

      Shower with others. The more the merrier!

      [Grabbing popcorn for the responses]

      • +2

        Popcorn would get soggy in the shower, why would you do that?

        Yo zeggie, time/place?

    • +1
      1. shower with others. shower only twice a week.
      2. only flush toilet when it turns black.

      I have a shower every 3 days in the winter and every 2 days in the summer!!!

    • +6

      Here a better fix.

      If no rain: shower with others by standing over your car, with clothes on, and clean the dishes at the same time. Clean all 4 points in one go.

      You saves shampoo/dishwash/detergent too!

    • +3

      Shower with others. The more the merrier!

      In the words of Wil Anderson, "When have you ever had a shower with someone else and it's taken less time? Unless you're in prison."

  • +6

    Rather than continually boiling the kettle during the day, we boil a full kettle and store the hot water in a 2ltr Thermos.

    Then when we need hot water, its available immediately without having to boil the kettle again and we use only what we need.

    • +14

      I freeze my boiled water to use later on.

    • +1

      Haha, I hope you're kidding. But back to the OPs point, how is it saving water by not filling the kettle up? Electricity yes, but not water… Unless you empty the rest down the sink or evaporation is an issue.

  • yes! small habitual changes from individual makes huge impact as a collective group. i used to not care; however meeting my current SO who hates wasted resources changed my perspective.

  • It has been suggested that the NEG 'might' save around $2 to $3pw on power bills.

    Much the same as the 'real' (i.e. inflation adjusted) increase in the cost of electricity retail billing since privatisation.
    I guess this covers the thousands of different (many historical) rates homes now pay: as well as the commissions outlaid in order to profit from more customers.
    Of course this expansion does employ many more - sales rep$, admin to cope with the constant churning; & a multitude of [overpaid] CEOs.
    NOT productive employment IMHO - now co$ting the consumer either time, or money :-(

    I've been following a thread on Whirlpool - where canny rural folk save on their water use by using low flow shower heads!
    Saves on power bills too, with not having to heat the water saved!

    An aerated shower head is suggested - this bulks up the spray by injecting air into the outlet.
    I use a 5LPM Methven Kiri Satinjet low flow handpiece - with CSIRO developed aeration it is equivalent to the standard 9[.5]LPM unit.
    I bought a few from UK, then US - half the price asked here.

    In Melbourne, for water, I pay over $4/1000L (Supply & DISPOSAL) - some might pay more.
    A 10 minute shower using 5LPM rather than 9.5LPM saving 45L, or about 20c.
    Savings on mains gas, say 2c/MJ [relatively inexpensive, except for the daily supply cost] amounts to around 15c.
    (I have assumed, that on average, incoming water is warmed by some 25C; & that gas heating is ~80% efficient, with a further 20% heat loss through supply pipes.)

    Multiplied up by 365 giving nearly $130 - close to the OZ price, but rather more than I paid to have units imported.

    Suggesting a ROI of a year [or less]?

    Slightly greater savings if you have OP electric storage.
    MUCH greater savings if you use full price electricity, or LPG.

    If you have sunk thousands into a heat-pump HWS then the power savings will only be a third, or even less.
    But you still $ave on water bills.

    My experience has been that the jets are softer, & slightly cooler.
    With a handpiece, however, I compensate by moving the showerhead close to my body - greater pressure, & warmer water!

    Lineland, from rural NSW, recommending a 6LPM AERATED showerpiece from Bunnings - rather inexpensive IIRC.

    Multiple, & heavy users stand to gain most - with ongoing $aving$!!!

    • Tl;Dr?

      • +2

        TL;DR

        TetchyToo saved money coz he TetchyToo is a smart tightass.

    • I have a misting Showerhead in both Bathrooms! They use about 3 litres/Min (guessing as I've not actually measured it)

  • +2

    Save water with a fewer toilet flushes… on the farm with only tank water it makes a huge difference

    if it is yellow let it mellow… if it is brown flush it down!

    • if its brown, dig a hole

  • -5

    The best water saving tip is to depopulate Australia. Australia is very arid compared to other continents. More population via immigration means more people competing for potable water, and for land in the wetter coastal parts of Australia. It's a zero sum game. I read that the long term sustainable carrying capacity for Australia is only 7 million humans, 30% of our current population. We should be paying people to be sterilized, and end all child related middle class welfare.

    There is heaps of water in the oceans, but it requires a huge amount of electricity to desalinate bulk amounts of water. Windmills don't cut it.

    • +1

      Great idea, you should start by sterilising yourself.

  • +2

    Regarding point 3, what’s the harm in filling a kettle to max? Pardon if it’s naive question, I’ve just never heard of this.

    The only thing I can think of water related is excess evaporation which I’d imagine would be minimal. As

    • +3

      I would have thought it would just save electricity nothing else

    • +2

      It’s only a problem if you empty the kettle into the drain after each boil. I don’t think anyone every does that do they? You just top up and book again.

      • Correct which most people do anyway…
        A cup here & there emptied over a year is a lot!

    • +1

      My best guess is the OP thinks people might pour the excess boiled water down the drain.

      Wouldn't most people just leave it in the kettle and re boil for next time?

      OR simply the act of taking the water from the tap is taking it away from farmers who need it?

  • +1

    Fantastic OP! I’ll try to keep up with the tips you’ve shared.

  • Get a 4 minute egg timer for shower

    • Cut it back to 3 mins

      • Cut that back to 2 mins

        • +1

          Cut that back to no shower

    • If you turn the water off after you've wet yourself you can stand in there as long as you want!

  • -1

    Dont turn any taps on at all.
    Drink purchased water.
    If you must washing clothes then reuse the suds water at least once more.

  • "When boiling Kettle at home for Tea/Coffee - use measuring cups instead of filling the kettle to max"

    This is NOT saving water! It's saving Electricity (or whatever your fuel is!) if you boil more water than necessary that's just stupid!

    "Keep a bucket handy in the shower, when you're waiting for the hot water to come, this could easily be 4L of fresh cold water - catch this in a bucket if you have a Mixer Shower and use it to water plants!"

    Have been doing this for over 10years (converted the whole house over to Rainwater when the Council thought they could tell me what days I can water my garden or wash my cars!)

    "If you have a good quality Dishwasher, use that instead of spending 15L of manual water, a water-efficient DW on quick run only uses 8L for a full load"

    If you waste anywhere near 8 or even 15 litres of water to wash the dishes you're a Muppet!

    • "When boiling Kettle at home for Tea/Coffee - use measuring cups instead of filling the kettle to max"
      This is NOT saving water! It's saving Electricity (or whatever your fuel is!) if you boil more water than necessary that's just stupid!

      You're not making sense, your post seems to attack my tip then your last bit in the sentence supports my overall claim.

      If you waste anywhere near 8 or even 15 litres of water to wash the dishes you're a Muppet!

      I don't suppose you've ever washed more than 2 plates in your lifetime?
      How about you prepare a chicken roast or lamb for 4 people and then show me how you plan to wash the cutting board, spoons, knife, plates, cups, serving plate, tongs, and whathaveyou in 5L

      • "You're not making sense, your post seems to attack my tip then your last bit in the sentence supports my overall claim."

        No attack, simply stating facts! It's not Rocket Surgery, How are you wasting water by filling the kettle? Do you tip it out afterwards or something?

        "I don't suppose you've ever washed more than 2 plates in your lifetime?
        How about you prepare a chicken roast or lamb for 4 people and then show me how you plan to wash the cutting board, spoons, knife, plates, cups, serving plate, tongs, and whathaveyou in 5L"

        Again, not Rocket Surgery! It's pretty simple really, you rinse all of the dirty dishes(starting with the cleanest ones) in your dirty water(from last use, from your washing machine, or from creek if camping) then use that water in your garden. 50 litres of water can last me a week(including showers daily!) when I was connected to the mains(converted to Rainwater by choice over 10 years ago) we used only 40 litres per person per day(the lowest in the Local Council)

  • +2

    Irrigating gardens can consumer a huge amount of water. I cut our water consumption by 70% when I replaced sprinklers with drippers. The water now has time to soak down to where the roots are and I was able to reduce the number of times the irrigation comes on from 4 days per week to 2 days. Lawns can adjust but it takes about a year with the occasional stressing so the roots now go deeper looking for water. I live in the sub tropics and if we go without rain for 4 weeks, only then do I think about watering.

    An additional benefit of not using sprinklers is a reduction in garden pests. The moist environment created by sprinklers encourages moulds, scale etc

  • +1

    Buy a reverse osmosis filter and store water instead of buying bottled water

    • Yes planning to do that…the RO Filter is going to set me back 800

      • Seriously?! My 5 stage setup was less than $150 for everything!

  • 1.25 Litre plastic soft drink bottle filled with water, put it in your toilet cistern. Will save whatever amount of water it displaces, per flush.

    I also found 4 litre per minute shower heads and fitted them to both of my showers (found online, but sometimes water saving washers will be fine too, depends what's available and cheapest) More than enough water for my household.

    A 375 kpa inlet valve fitted to your household water meter will help. Usually a special order from Bunnings, (it's on their website) should help you save money on water heating costs too.

    Washing dishes by hand saves a crap load of water, and electricity. I don't know what people are talking about in that regard. I have all my taps using no more than 4.5 LPM too.

    In saying that, I still have a dishwasher for when there is heaps of things to clean and I want some convenience.

    • I have a 3L/4.5L (or maybe it's 6L can't remember) Cistern but many years ago I got in the habit of always pushing the 'half flush' button down half way & release as soon as whatever you're flushing has gone!

      • Yeah, decent modern toilets stop as soon as you release the button, but some people just press and release and leave a surprise gift in the bowl for the next person. He he hee

  • I have a small tip to save electricity. Stop having the damn shower head up so high, by the time it hits your body its lost 10%+ of the heat in winter.

  • +1

    We've got a large desalination plant sitting off the coast of where I live on idle because our dam isn't empty enough.

    I am not concerned about wasting water.. It's not like the farmers out west are able to use the water from our dam.

    In saying that. I already do all the water saving things on that list. I also only use a broom to clean the patio. Doesn't need water.

    • Agreed. Water isn't a finite resource when you have a desalination plant waiting there ready to be used.

      Ok, the water rates increase slightly when it's in operation but for me, I don't see the big need to save water.

  • Another tip…if you can aim - piss in the shower (drain direct), the shower water is flushing anyway.
    Saves you flushing down the toilet which averages 5L dump of water.
    If u cant aim, don't - because the stench of dried urine in your bathtub if not washed well = public toilet

    • Pee in the garden!

  • Until someone can create water from their bare hands, they have no leg to stand on this argument

    That made me think of Jesus, walking on water.

    Nope, that's all i've got. Bye.

  • +1

    Do a piping health check twice a year.

    Before you go to bed, take note of the watermeter numbers. Be the first to wake in the morning, compare the number. If you are absolutely sure no tap is running then the numbers shouldn't change. If not you have a leaky somewhere…

    • Or someone went to the toilet during the night?!

  • Is everywhere in drought atm ? Is water saving really required (for everyone) . ie. My water bill is not much $$ , and as far as I know, we haven't had water restrictions in the illawarra area since about 10 years ago. Therefore me saving water isn't going to help farmers, or anyone for that matter is it ? If the local water source is plentiful, then there is absolutely no benefit to the environment by using less, as far as I know.
    Note. I don't watch free TV anymore, so don't get the news. But often read local newspapers and have heard nothing regarding water restrictions or any drought concerns here.
    I am genuinely interested to understand if there is any significant environmental impact on water saving for everyone, if we are in an area with plenty of water .

Login or Join to leave a comment