Bathroom Water Saving Devices

Water saving devices are becoming more popular for good reason.  When it comes to water, we’re quickly realizing that it’s not the unlimited resource that we often treat it as.  Some cities have many restrictions to limit a family’s use of water, meaning that a household often has to be more creative about getting any extra water for gardens or lawns.

Collecting water for your outdoor use just makes plain good sense.  Water barrels can be outfitted directly under your drain spout to collect rainfall or, during milder winters and spring, even snow melt.  If you use a dehumidifier, the collected water can be used for gardens or lawns instead of pouring this precious commodity down the drain.  When it comes to saving water inside your home, there are many options for helping a family become as efficient about conversation as possible.  The bathroom is in all likelihood the room that sees the most water usage.  We’ve gathered some of the best water conservation ideas for your bathroom that can be easily installed so that your household contributes to the solution.

Fix it first

It might seem like a no brainer, but before you even think about buying a new water saving gadget or fixture, it pays to do a thorough inspection of your bathroom first.  If you’ve got a leak – even a slow one – this could be the reason that you are using more water than you should.  Make sure that all pipes are sound and that you have no water dripping from anywhere that it shouldn’t.  Seal all joints and ensure that dripping taps are fixed or replaced.  Keeping your bathroom in tip top shape is the best first step towards being more ecologically minded.

Low Flow Aerators

A low flow aerator isn’t hard to install, meaning that this is something that any homeowner can simply purchase and mount themselves without having to hire a contractor.  The upside?  You’ll save about 4% in water usage after a quick set up.  The downside?  Some homeowners don’t like the noticeable reduction in water pressure.

Eco shower heads

Some eco shower heads inject your water stream with air while others give off a water pulse at set intervals per second, meaning that you actually use less water without the sacrifice of a noticeably reduced lowered water pressure.

Shower monitors

A few simple (but high tech) devices on the market today can let you know either exactly how much water you’ve used in your shower (giving you an idea when you should shut it down and how long a shower you can take before you have to hop out) or, using a blinking light, can let you know when you should wrap it up.  A green light means you’re fine, a yellow light means you should probably rinse off (halfway point), and a red light means get out!  Some of these devices can even use the information you’ve provided to help you further reduce your water usage the next time.

Shower cabins

A water saving shower cabin can not only keep your water contained to a fairly small space (meaning that more of it gets used directly by the occupant) but can also be outfitted with many of the other water saving devices we’ve mentioned, making it a great option for ecologically minded homeowners.

Dual flush toilets

Instead of the standard flush handle, your toilet will feature 2 buttons; the small button flushes with less water, the larger button – you guessed it – releases more water when you need it.  You can upgrade your toilet when it comes time for a renovation or simply purchase a dual flush conversion kit and keep using the toilet you’ve got.

Tank bag

Another water saving device for your toilet is the tank bag.  The tank bag is an inflated bag that sits in your water tank, effectively taking up space that water normally would.  This means that every time you flush, the tank fills with and flushes with less water.

Bathwater diverter

If you’ve got a tub in the house, it can be a real water hog, and if you simply can’t give up your regular relaxing soak, think about installing a bathwater diverter.  This means that the water in your tub won’t be wasted; instead it can be used a second time on your lawn and gardens.  The water gets drained into a water butt or even put directly into your garden hose.

No matter what devices you install, it also pays to be aware of water usage in any area of the household.  Make sure that members of your household understand the importance of water conservation and why it is planet friendly to ensure that this precious resource doesn’t go to waste.