Water saving tips

Swimming Pools

Swimming pools are very difficult to control during summer. It's hot and windy and water evaporates quickly.

At the same time the water in the pool is filled with dust and muck that ends up in the filter.

To clean the filter you need to backwash and this drains the pool of hundreds of litres of water that in most instances is pumped down drainpipes and ends up running down the streets and into sewers.

Instead of pumping the water to waste do the following:

This idea works similar to fish pond filters.

Take an old type rubber dirt bin (round one) and fit two cross members through the sides at about three quarters of the height of the bin.

Get a sponge cushion about two inches thick cut to the size of the inside of the bin and place it on top of the members.

Drill a hole at the bottom of the bin and fit a pipe to it that will allow the water to flow out of it.

Backwash your pool into the bin from the top, the dirt will be filtered out by the sponge and the water can be allowed to flow back to your pool.

Once your filtering is complete wash the sponge, ready for next time.

The above should save you hundreds of litres of water.

Swimming Pools again

1. Use your borehole more. If you're lucky enough to have a borehole and a pool ask you pool shop to test the borehole water to see if it is suitable for topping up the pool,
2. Cover your pool. Fit a swimming pool cover to restrict water loss through evaporation, especially during summer,

Toilets

1. Fill your toilet’s water tank using rainwater (gathered in a large plastic storage container) or from your underground supply.
2. I you still have the “old” type toilets with the large cisterns, put a brick in the cistern to reduce the water that it holds (it should not have a significant influence on the toilet’s flushing capabilities, but it will save you water),
3. It is also your choice to implement the following with toilets only used by family members: “If it is P, then let it B, if it is brown, then wash it down”. Think about it – if the toilet is only flushed every second time in stead of each time, then you already have a 50% saving. Being a sensitive subject, gentlemen, please clear this with the ladies first.

Bathrooms

1. Leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth can waste 20 litres of water,
2. And if you do the same with shaving that's another 45 litres of water down the drain,
3. A bath uses 160 litres. A five-minute shower uses 60 litres,
4. If you have to bath, do so in shallow water. Share the water with your partner and let children bath together,
5. Get a new shower head. Replace your shower head with a water-efficient model that delivers a maximum of 10 litres of water per minute. This can reduce water use by 50%,
6. While your lathering up in the shower, turn the water flow down or off. When your ready to rinse turn it back up,
7. Take shorter showers. If every member of a four strong family takes a five-minute shower every day collectively they use more than 100 000 litres of water per year,
8. Bathe with less. Avoid filling your bath to a depth greater than 100mm. Mark the depth on the side with a piece of waterproof tape,
9. Bath simply. Stop using additives such as bubble bath and lotions as finally washing away the suds uses a lot of water,
10. Check your toilet for leaks. Add a few drops of food dye to the cistern. If it seeps into the bowl you have a leak that needs repairing. Such leaks can waste up to 30 litres of water an hour or 21,600 litres of water per month,

Kitchen sinks

Kitchen sinks waste a lot of water when rinsing hands and food while cooking.

If you have a double sink that is connected to a drain by means of one pipe make the following alterations to the fittings and you could save yourself hundreds of litres.

Plastic piping is cheap and all you need to do is separate the two sinks from each other.

Use one sink for the dirty washing up water and soapy stuff.

This is channeled into the drain as per normal.

Use the second sink for rinsing dishes, food etc and then channel the water directly into a container outside with a pipe leading into your garden.

That way you will not pump soapy water into your garden and be able to use the cleaner water that normally goes to waste.

Kitchen

1. Soaking saves. Soak pots and pans rather than let them sit under running water while you scrape them clean,
2. Keep cool. Instead of waiting for the tap to run cold enough for a cool drink, keep a bottle of water in the refrigerator,
3. Waterless defrosting. Defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator instead of using the microwave or under running water,
4. Rinse glasses, cutlery, crockery and vegetables in a basin or a bowl rather than under a running tap.

Laundry

1. Go high-tech on washing day. Consider buying high efficiency washing machines which use an average of 30% less water and 40 - 50 % less energy,
2. Wait until you have a full load for your washing machine. Don’t overload it but partial loads waste water,

Outside pot plants

Outside pot plants are a problem.

Roses especially need oodles of water, which drains through the plant after watering and then runs away.

To solve the problem of water running all over your patio and going to waste, place the pots over cement gutter channeling and channel the overflow water directly into your garden.

You can water two plants for the price of one.

Garden

1. In some areas in the garden, shade cloth can be used to create cover, decreasing the stress a plant may experience through wilting in the full sun,
2. Make compost from organic waste to reduce reliance on water for gardening purposes,
3. Read the “keys” in the leaves of plants. Plants that need less water have grey, waxy or hairy leaves and have lots of oil in their leaves. Plants that have small needle-like leaves also need less water,
4. Place all heavy water consuming plants in one bed and less thirsty plants together in another. This will lead to more efficient and economical watering,
5. Water intelligently. Cut off the top off a large cooldrink bottle, punch holes in the bottom and sink it next to the plant. Use a watering can to fill the bottle and water will seep through to the roots,
6. Indigenous grasses like buffalo and kweek (to South Africa) need half the amount of water that kikuyu requires,
7. Fit a length of 19mm hose to your washing machine waste outlet and use the water on your garden,
8. Water plants sparingly. Water plants only when necessary. More plants die from over-watering than from under-watering,
9. Don't cut your lawn shorter than 3cm to 4cm, so the blades of grass can shade each other, reducing water loss,
10. Go indigenous. Plant indigenous plants and shrubs – they are generally much less thirsty than alien plants, but remember indigenous and water wise are not necessarily the same.
11. The magic of mulch. Mulch flower beds to retain more moisture and discourage weeds.

General / Mixed Water savings tips (does not fit into a specific category or fits into more than one category)

1. A tap dripping at the rate of one drip per second can waste up to 30 litres of water per day or 900 lites per month,
2. Replace tap washers regularly to stop or prevent leaks and fit tap aerators to restrict and spread the flow of water,
3. Limit your household water consumption to a set amount per day – try 20 kilolitres a month or 800 litres a day,
4. Playing under a sprinkler or with a hose is fun for the kids in summer but it wastes up to 1 000 litres of water an hour,
5. Catch it in the shower. Place a bucket in the shower to collect water which you can then use to flush the toilet , wash outside floors or water the garden,
6. Check for leaks Turn off all taps, wait 30 minutes then check your water meter. If the dial is moving, water is running to waste and you may have a leak – maybe underground,
7. Get sweeping. Use a broom to clean driveways, not a hosepipe,
8. Small children like to play in the water (usually in the sink, basin or bath). Rather than let the water run or fill the whole sink / basin / bath up, just fill up a pan and let them play in that. It’s also a lot less water for them to make a mess with,
9. Wash the car using a bucket of water, using only two buckets instead of a hose. It can save up to 300 litres of water,
10. Re-use water from baths, sinks and basins on the garden or in the toilet cistern. Don't forget to do the same with water collected in buckets as you shower,
11. Rinse – then reuse. Reuse the water you use for rinsing vegetables to water houseplants or for cleaning,
12. When you go to bed at night, turn your remote-controlled TV off at the wall plug, as the remote panel uses power even when the TV is off. The same is applicable to computers, video recorders, DVD players, Hi-fi systems, etc.