Save The Water

Your Home Inspector, Vince. www.austinpropertydoctors.com

When working on a home inspection I am looking for leaks and water intrusion. I also keep in mind how water moves in and out of the home. During inspections, I often see many ways the homeowner could use less water, and that is important in central Texas.

One thing home inspectors do is to take a look at your water meter, does it move when you have no water on in the house? You can do this and discover running water being wasted.

Here are some effective and practical ways you can significantly reduce water use (and lower water bills) without drastically changing lifestyle.

Outdoor Water Savings (Often 50-70% of total home use)

1. Fix leaks immediately – A dripping faucet or running toilet can waste 200–10,000 gallons/month.

2. Water lawn/garden smarter, not more

   - Water early morning or evening to reduce evaporation

   - Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses instead of sprinklers (50–70% more efficient)

   -Use a smart irrigation controller (Weather-based or soil-moisture based) – saves 20–40%

   - Convert part of lawn to native/drought-tolerant plants or xeriscaping

3. Harvest rainwater– Even a simple 50-gallon rain barrel under one downspout saves thousands of gallons per year for garden use.

4. Sweep, don’t hose– Use a broom for driveways, patios, sidewalks.

5. Cover pools & spas when not in use – reduces evaporation (up to 90%).

Indoor Water Savings

6. Install high-efficiency fixtures

   - Low-flow showerheads (≤1.75 gpm) – can cut shower water use in half

   - WaterSense-labeled faucets and aerators

   - Dual-flush or high-efficiency toilets (1.28 gpf or less) – biggest indoor saver

7. Upgrade to WaterSense/Energy Star appliances

   - Dishwasher: New models use ~3–5 gallons/load vs 10–15 for older ones

   - Clothes washer: Front-load or HE top-load uses 12–18 gallons vs 40–50 for old top-load

8. Shorten showers by 2–3 minutes – saves ~5–10 gallons per shower.

9. Only run full loads in dishwasher and washing machine.

10. Turn off tap while brushing teeth, shaving, scrubbing dishes – 4–10 gallons saved each time.

11. Install instant hot-water recirculator or on-demand pump – eliminates waiting for hot water (saves 10,000+ gallons/year in some homes).

- Put a weighted bottle or toilet dam in older toilet tanks (saves 0.5–1 gallon per flush)

- Check toilet for silent leaks (food coloring test)

- Insulate hot-water pipes so you run less water waiting for it to heat

- Collect shower “warm-up” water in a bucket for plants or flushing