Adjusting Drinking Water Faucets to Save Water

It is not news that water wastage across the world is unnecessarily high. And while some countries are literally drought stricken, other countries take their water supplies for granted. It is easy to take water for granted, as it flows so freely out of the tap. We forget that in some countries, such as those in the third world, water is a luxury item, and one that people may have to walk miles for to carry back in the dust and heat. Each year, thousands upon thousands of gallons of water go to waste via leaky drinking water faucets, taps and pipes, excess showering, laundry, and dishwashing use. It is estimated that U.S citizens use approximately 205 billion gallons of water daily for household, industrial and agricultural uses. This is an awful lot of water! Which percentages could all be reduced by making a few small changes around the home?

The Focus on Drinking Water Faucets

It is important to avoid having leaky taps around the home, as a leaking drinking water faucet could lose up to 4000 gallons of water per year. There are many water saving devices now on the market designed to reduce water pressure and flow and hence, the amount of water used. Most of these are inexpensive and easy to install. Low flow faucet aerators are cheap and easy to install, and work by reducing the water flow and increasing water pressure, then mixing air with the water as it comes out of the tap. Even though less water is being used, it will seem like the flow is stronger. A traditional faucet will use around 5 - 15 gallons of water a minute, whereas an aerated faucet reduces it to around 3 gallons per minute. And when buying drinking water faucets, look for ones that flow at or around 2.75 gallons per minute. These can save huge amounts of water each year.

Everyone's Issue

It's easy to forget that saving water is vital if the world is to have enough for years to come. As the world gets hotter, more and more countries are going into drought, and water wastage is still unnecessarily high. If we could all try to make a few small changes, from adjusting our drinking water faucets, turning the tap off when we clean out teeth and washing our car on the lawn, the amount of water wasted each year would drop considerably. And it's important that we strive to pass these views on to our children, as it's they who will determine the future of the world in years to come.