Save Water While Waiting For It To Warm
A common practice by many households is to turn on their shower water until it gets to a temperature they feel is appropriately for showering in. So that means that on top of using large amounts of water just taking a shower, that we also waste tons of water by simply preparing the shower for us to use.
Why does it take so long?
There are three main reasons why it takes longer to get warm water in certain households:
- Distance of Water Heater: This reason makes complete sense as the farther the water heater is from a faucet, the longer warm water will take to reach it.
- Diameter of Pipes: Smaller pipes mean that less water has to flow to faucets. This means that less water has to be heated and therefore it will arrive much faster.
- Flow Rate: Since less water is delivered using low-flow showerheads and faucets, more cold water is sitting in the pipes. This cold water will take longer to flush out before warm water can arrive.
The latest trend in household construction is to make larger pipes and to use lower flow rate faucets and showerheads. This combination delivers hot water the slowest. In some situations, it can take as long as a few minutes.
Solutions
There are ways to combat this huge problem that many of us face beyond just continuing to allow water to be wasted. Here are some great ways to avoid this extra waste of water.
Take Cold Shower
Instead of waiting for warm water, why not take a cold shower? A cold shower is much healthier for your health. It does not dry your skin like hot water can and helps provide better circulation. Just off of that alone it’s worth taking a cold shower, but it also provides water energy savings as well. Since the water doesn’t require to be heated or heated far less, it will require much less energy use by your home’s water heater. It can also help reduce the time we spend taking a shower because we are not waiting for water to be warmed.
Be sure to check out my shower calculator to determine exactly how much water and energy you can save by taking cold showers.
Save the Water
Why does perfectly usable water have to go to waste? Instead of just letting it go down the drain, save the water in a bucket and use it for other things. A great way that this water can be used to flush our toilets. Pouring water in a toilet simulates the action of flushing a toilet without having to waste more water. It could also be used to put in our washing machines or on various applications in the kitchen.
Fixing the Problem
The true way to actually fix this problem is to get a circulator system for your home. The idea behind a system like this is that it pulls the cold water out of the pipes and uses hot water in a different location in your house for the shower. This system allows for hot water to reach its destination much more quickly and not allow the cold water to go to waste. As you can imagine, a system like this can be rather expensive to buy and install. Advanced Conservation Technologies makes the one of these circulating systems called the D’Mand system, which costs approximately $350-500 that doesn’t include installation. If the expense for a system like this is too much, the above alternatives are probably best for you.
