As homeowners are becoming more concerned about their effects on the environment, eco-friendly home plumbing is becoming more popular. These eco-friendly home approaches include switching to LED lighting, using solar hot water systems, installing low-flow toilets, using steel bottles instead of plastic ones, installing LEED-certified appliances, or simply recycling whenever possible.
But if you are truly attempting to become an eco-friendly household, you can’t forget your home’s plumbing system. Green plumbing not only reduces the consumption of energy and water at your home but also makes the water you use safer and healthier.
Here are 7 tips for eco-friendly home plumbing:
A major part of green plumbing is the house filtration system that removes harmful chemicals, metals, microorganisms, and other contaminants. It thus helps in improving the quality of water. Other green plumbing adjustments include reverse osmosis systems and carbon filters that purify the water you use by absorbing the pollutants contained in it.
Here we have outlined several ways to help homes and even businesses reduce wastewater, save money, and energy while still getting high-caliber plumbing performance.
1. ECO-FRIENDLY PLUMBING
Everyone wants to reduce their carbon footprint and the best place to start is your home. Look at your water pipes and ensure they are of the correct size. To minimize waste and leaks make sure its material is durable. As steel pipes are durable and able to hold heat well, they are perfect for the winter season.
PEX pipes are also well-suited to maintain heat. Just in case if pipe replacement is not a viable option, you can try reducing the heat loss by installing pipe insulators around copper or plastic piping.
2. FLOW-OPTIMIZED TOOLS
You can easily find eco-friendly toilets in dual-flush varieties and ultra-efficient models at a cheaper rate. They help you reduce water consumption significantly. Another option to reduce water wastage is switching to flow-optimized showerheads and faucets.
3. DEMAND-TYPE WATER HEATERS
Water heaters are an essential component of every household but they also contribute to increased energy consumption. Luckily, now we have demand-type or tankless water heaters that consume less electricity and gas compared to the traditional ones.
These devices heat water directly without using storage tanks. To use them, first, you need to fill the water tank up to a sufficient amount and wait for the heater to do its job. With storage water heaters, you can also limit the flow rate while avoiding standby energy losses.
4. HEAD OUTDOORS
In your effort to shift to eco-friendly plumbing, don’t just focus on the indoors. Keep in mind that outdoor plumbing also uses just as much water.
To develop a water system that keeps your plants and grass healthy without wasting water, switch to drip water. Installing timers is another option that allows you to easily control lawn watering without any wastage.
You may also switch to installing high temperature gate valves in your plumbing system. These valves are a common part of the irrigation system as they have the strength to support a high flow rate of water.
5. RAINWATER TANKS
Rainwater tanks are usually installed next to a house or underneath it. The water collected in it falls on the roof, passes the gutters, and then reaches the tank through downpipes. It is a practical and old way of harvesting rainwater. You may even install the rain barrels to use the rainwater in your garden.
6. LOW-FLOW TOILETS
When getting a toilet for your home, you may want to make sure that it helps you minimize your daily water usage. Low-flow toilets are one such type that relies on using less water each time you flush and also give you the option of customizing each flush.
Similar to low-flow showerheads and faucets, low-flow toilets also maintain high water pressure and reduce their flow to conserve water. These toilets are an improved version of our traditional toilets that use a significant amount of water to flush down the waste. These advanced systems use different amounts of water to flush down the liquid and solid waste.
These low-flow toilets are connected to wider drainages to reduce the risk of toilet clogging.
7. ECO-FRIENDLY DRAINAGE PRODUCTS
Drainage pipes help in removing waste and maintain a smooth flow of water throughout the home. Because these devices tools are working 24*7, they require regular cleaning. To clean these pipes, homeowners usually rely on conventional products that contain sodium hydroxide as the key active ingredient.
Not many people know that sodium hydroxide or caustic soda is a toxic man-made chemical that causes environmental issues. So, to keep your drainage pipes clean while also maintaining a healthy environment, invest in eco-friendly drainage products. You can try products like Earthworm, Unique Natural, Home Solv, and Biokleen.
CONCLUSION
Switching to a front-loading clothes washer is another upgrade to your eco-friendly lifestyle. These washers are designed with sprayers that consume less water to wash your clothes. It thus contributes to effective washing yet low electricity bill.
There are a lot of ways in which you can take a step towards going green. Minimizing your shower time, not leaving the tap running unnecessarily, grooming consciously, switching off lights when not in the room, checking for any pipe leakage, and using high-efficiency faucets are some of the ways in which you can contribute towards saving the environment.
Though adopting responsible habits might take a lot of time, even a small step counts. Turning your home into an eco-friendly residence is a lot easier than you might think. Also, installing eco-friendly fixtures at your home can go a long way in promoting sustainable water consumption.
Just keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to make significant changes all at once. Gradual movements will immediately make a noticeable impact.
