Every month, every family is faced with the need to allocate part of their budget to pay for the mandatory costs associated with living in the apartment, and repay the bills for heating, electrical and so on. According to statistics, the third place of the list take costs associated with the use of water for domestic use. Did the monthly amount of these expenses and not very big, especially compared with other indices. However, if you put the annual cost of the family only to pay for water and sanitation, the resulting figures, to put it mildly, to cause a surprise with a "minus".
Indeed, we have little interest in the question of how to save water. Why is it so hard to understand is not. The roots of the answer lies in the Soviet past, which was formed under the influence of our mentality with you. Of course, while the TV screens were calls that should save water. You may recall, even cartoons that advocated this approach. However, the amount of utility payments in those days had no significant impact on the budget of an average Soviet family. It is for this reason that our parents are not particularly thought about the question of how to save water.
Today's realities are fundamentally different from those that existed two or three decades ago. Fees for the use of both natural and man-made resources are growing steadily. The level of income does not allow many families with the same ease and nonchalance refers to the payment of utility bills. Yes, and global trends aimed at saving fresh water resources, since their number has been steadily declining.
And we feel ourselves when for some reason, suddenly disappears in the apartment all the usual tap water? Naturally, it is impossible for us familiar comfort and creates considerable inconvenience, even when such a situation does not last more than a few hours. But it is impossible to imagine, and what happens to modern mankind, when fresh water will become a real deficit. So let's try to make a personal contribution to the cause of saving water, because it will also significantly reduce the cost of the family budget and the released funds to send more useful direction.
Control - the key to successful saving
To begin with you should pay attention to the counters installed in most modern apartments, as well as to take note of the amount of the final payment for the water in the monthly receipt. Take the time to write down these figures, because such an account will make a real picture of how much money your family has managed to save a few months.
The second step should be mandatory verification of plumbing in your home for possible uncontrolled leakage associated with defects. Make it pretty easy, because all the counters are indicators of water movement. Make sure that the valves are securely closed, and fix the readings. After a couple of hours, check whether they have remained unchanged. If the answer is yes, you can be calm - you have everything under control. If the counter values have changed, it is necessary to find out the reason.
Inspect faucets in the kitchen and in the bathroom. Note that any one of them in the event of leakage able to use up to eight thousand liters of water per year. Be sure to check the drain tank, because if it flows, the costs increased by more than two hundred liters per day. It often happens that the serviceable at first sight the toilet drain allows water to escape almost silently, making the process transparent to us.
To understand how things work in your case, you can use any food coloring or gouache in which you need to add color to the water cistern. As soon as it will stain the toilet bowl, you immediately realize that there is a small fault that requires removal. To do this, you can invite a specialist or bring a spouse. To save the process was more successful, as it is made aware of all family members living in the same apartment. Note how close the valve, since water is used not only adults but also children. So they just like you should be comfortable and easy to deal with existing fixtures.
So, if all of the above conditions are met, you can go directly to the actual methods of saving water and, consequently, the budget of the family. They are quite a few, but they all fall into two general categories: the human factor and technical improvements.
How can save water, anyone?
If we consider this way, then we will focus on personal participation in the process of saving the whole family. Each of you should follow a few essential rules. Here are those that relate to hygiene and laundry.
First of all all your family members need to understand that the cold water is much cheaper than hot, so it is better to use it more frequently.
A habit of brushing teeth including a tap at the beginning and at the end of the sanitary treatment. You can enjoy and glass. In this simple way four people can save up to 750 liters of water per week.
Remind her husband about the need to shave off at the tap. This will help to reduce the weekly consumption of 380 liters.
Encourage family members to wash in the shower, not in a filled bathtub. The process itself should reduce and contain water only in the beginning and at the end, when rinsing. This would save about 20 liters per person.
If you prefer to wash in the bath, then fill it up to 50% higher than can reduce water consumption by the same 20 liters.
Try to use the washing machine only when it is fully loaded.
Do not throw trash into the toilet - it has a special bucket. Disappear need frequent draining.
Let's move on to how to correctly and sparingly water can be used in the kitchen. It also does not make much effort, if it becomes a useful habit of all the members of your family. At first, of course, have to try, it's not so easy to change the rules established over the years. However, it is not necessary to retreat, because water savings - it is profitable and useful.
If your family dishes are washed by hand, then learn how to do it right. You can use either the second shell, or other suitable container in which to pour the required amount of water and detergent. It is here one by one peremoyte the dirty dishes. Then, it must be rinsed with running water from the tap. To wash process does not cause much difficulty, try not to let food residues dry up at the plate.
Use the dishwasher is not every time after a meal, but only when the download is complete. Both the first and second dishwashing method will save up to 60 liters per person per day.
Forget to defrost meat and fish products using hot or cold water. This not only leads to a saving, but also harmful thing, since it contributes to multiply in meat and fish harmful microorganisms. You can leave foods thawed overnight in the refrigerator or use for this special mode of the microwave oven.
Vegetables and fruits wash in the sink, pre-filled with water, which can then be watered plants.
Even if you can not immediately use all of these ways to save, start with at least a few very simple. The results of your actions will be reflected immediately in the first receipt for payment of utility services. Perhaps it will be a good incentive for the continuation of activities related to water saving in your family.
Techniques that help save water
These methods should be adopted to people who plan to make repairs in an apartment or just want to update their bathroom fixtures. After all, technological progress does not stand still, and many Western news economical use of natural resources (in this case water) is already available for widespread use. Here are a few very simple.
Mixer with one arm instead of two cranes. It allows you to accelerate the process of mixing hot and cold water, thus it will reach the right temperature. But the less time we spend on this process, the more economical consumption.
Modern shower with aeration function. It will not only save money, but also make the procedure more comfortable taking a shower. Aerator water fills the air bubbles, which gives jets softness and makes them more volume.
Mixer with silicone stopper. It will reduce water consumption, reducing its jet as a high-pressure becomes more flat shape, thereby narrowing the gap in the hole mixer.
Equipment with an infrared sensor. For water supply need only bring your hands to the opening of the mixer, and removing them you same contactless way stop the flow.
WC equipped with a combined drainage system. Often you do not want to use the full volume of the tank, so setting such a sanitary novelty, you can use water more sparingly. But you can reduce the amount of drainage in the usual toilet. To this should be placed in a tank vessel with a liquid, e.g., a plastic bottle.
In addition to these plumbing fixtures, in a modern apartment can be used, and many others. For example, adjust the water taps on conventional nozzle or with the effect of the soul in the kitchen. You can also purchase faucets with a special chopper flow. Choosing shower heads, give preference to the one who has not a very large diameter.
In any case, do not ignore the question of how to save water, as the irrational use of it, as well as other natural resources, will lead to their depletion and subsequent shortages. Already, in many cities the process of pumping the groundwater is much faster than they have time to recover the original volume. This is a very dangerous phenomenon, because sooner or later the stocks have been exhausted and no longer provide the lives of people. Already, one-third of the world's population has a problem with drinking water, began to appear even ghost towns from which people left because of her absence.
Therefore, water conservation is necessary not only to reduce the cost of payment of utility bills. Since we are all conscious people, we must understand that a rational approach to the use of water in our time is becoming a necessity. Let's remember the responsibility for the fate of the planet, which lies on all people without exception. And the easiest way to do it is precisely in the saving of water as the main source of life on Earth.
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