How to save water | Pittsburgh Plumber

How to Save Water in the Summertime


At Terry’s Plumbing, we care about your water (and everyone else’s). So, we want to share a few things you can do this summer to help conserve it. Water and plumbing are partners, after all! We’re lucky here in the Pittsburgh area that we don’t have extreme droughts (like those in California, Texas and other places). However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t do our part to help conserve this precious resource. Keep reading to learn how to save water with five easy tips!

How to Save Water, Money and Time

Here are some steps you can take to reduce your water usage and help you to save time and money as well.

1. Smart Lawn Maintenance

If you’re the kind of person who really wants a lush, green lawn, make sure to water it in the early morning or evening. When the sun is high the water evaporates quicker, getting less of it into your soil. That’s what makes pre- and post-sun high times the perfect choice.

Pay attention to the weather. If you have automatic sprinklers, make sure to turn them off on rainy days. There’s no use flooding your lawn and wasting your water if it isn’t needed. Also be careful to watch where you’re watering. Don’t waste water and money wetting down your drive or sidewalk.

2. Machine Wash the Dishes

How great is that? An excuse not to hand wash. This, however, is assuming you have an updated Energy Star rated dishwasher. These have more efficient water use than the typical 25+ gallons it takes to wash your dishes by hand–using just three gallons of water. Keep an eye on your setting as well; use the least aggressive wash setting needed.

3. Rethink Your Lawn

It doesn’t have to be green grass. You know that, right? There are plenty of plants that are drought friendly or low water tolerant that will flourish beautifully in your yard. There are various forms of landscaping as well, such as bricks, stone, concrete etc. which may be aesthetically designed. You can save money on water and time on mowing while helping to conserve the resource!

4. Collect Rainwater

A rain barrel is one of the most common ways of doing this, but not the only one. Use your gutter downspout to deflect the rainwater from your roof into a barrel to be used for watering your lawn or garden later. No use letting that water go to waste and paying for more! With technology the way it is, many new kinds of green infrastructure have emerged–rain barrels, porous pavement and green roofs are just a few you can learn more about.

5. Check for Leaks

Anything with water in it has the potential for leaks. Your toilet, shower, sink, pipes and everything else. A leak can cost you major dollars, as well as waste gallons of water. A simple leak in the tank of your toilet can waste 100 gallons of water a day! You can easily test this one by putting a dye tablet or food coloring in your tank and checking to see if the color gets into the bowl. For harder-to-find (and fix) leaks, call Terry’s Plumbing to check it out for you!

Call Terry’s Plumbing for All of Your Plumbing Needs

We’re here to help you live more comfortably. If you’re worried that you might have plumbing problems increasing your water usage, let us fix it for you. Check out our website for more information. And if you are interested in learning about more ways to save water, take a peek at our previous blog about saving water while hand washing your car.