Water Conservation
Understanding where and how much water we use is the first step in beginning to conserve one of our most precious resources. This simple home water checkup will allow you to understand household consumption. After calculating your water patterns, you can begin to conserve in ways that work best for your lifestyle.
1.SHOWERS. Multiply the number of showers taken each day by members of your household by the average number of minutes spent in the shower; then multiply the result by 4 gallons per minute to determine water used for household showers each day.
2.BATHS. Multiply the number of baths taken each day by 40 gallons to determine daily water used for baths.
3.TOILETS. Multiply the number of people in your household by four flushes; then multiply the result times 5 gallons per flush to determine the amount of water used daily in your household toilets.
4.FAUCETS. Total the number of times household members use faucets to shave, brush teeth, and wash hands or faces. Multiply that number by the average minutes used; then multipy the result times 3 gallons per minute for the number of gallons used daily through faucets. Dripping faucets in the winter time can use about 1 gallon of water every 10 to 15 minutes per faucet. Mutilplying this number by the minutes left on over a months time can lead to an extra 1 to 6 thousand gallons of water on your bill.
5.LAUNDRY. Multiply the number of loads of laundry washed each week times 55 gallons to determine gallons used per week. Divide this number by 7 to determine daily consumption of water for laundry.
6.DISHWASHER. Multiply the number of times the dishwasher is used each week times 15 gallons per load for the amount of water used weekly by the dishwasher. Divide that amount by 7 for daily consumption.
7.HAND WASHING DISHES. Multiply the number of times dishes are washed by hand each day times 3 gallons per minute; then multiply the result by the average number of minutes the water runs to determine daily water consumption for hand washing dishes.
TOTAL THE GALLONS USED DURING EACH OF THESE ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR ESTIMATED DAILY INDOOR CONSUMPTION.
Leak Detection
Some common ways to pinpoint a leak are:
1.Put Food Coloring or Dye in the back of your commode and see if that particular color comes through to the bowl in two to four hours. If it does this tells you the commode is leaking.
2.If you have a main shutoff valve on your line coming into your house you could call Greater Harrison and setup an appointment with a technician to help you determine if the leak is under ground or in the house.
WARNING: DO NOT REMOVE WATER METER WELL LID!
Greater Harrison County PSD assumes NO Responsibility for personal injury incurred from the illegal entry into the water meter well or from the wrong installation of the lid back to its original location.
Sewage Odor
Several things could go bad to cause sewage odor in the home.
1.Basement drain trap dry. This happens if no water goes down the basement drain for several weeks or months in a row. To keep this from happening poor a gallon of water down the drain every month or so, especially in the summer time.
2.Sewage vent pipe stopped up. Also known as a stink pipe. A 1-1/2” plastic pipe, usually exiting out the roof of the house is directly connected to the sewage drain system for fresh air during the time when sewage or grey water is going down the drain. This is used to keep the system from emptying traps throughout the house when liquid is going down the drain. If you hear a gurgling sound when liquid is draining the vent pipe is probably stopped up. A lot of times this happens in the spring when birds are busy building nests. One suggestion for clearing it is to put a water hose in the pipe and turn it on to clear the debris and wash it down the drain.
3.Toilet wax ring or seal bad. The trap in a commode is above the floor so if the seal goes bad odor can get in near the floor. Check at the bottom of the commode, near the floor to see if any moisture buildup is showing. If it is wet you need to hire a plumber to install a new seal.