Phew – 2025 been the driest summer I can remember here in New Brunswick. Communities and rural homeowners who rely on wells are rightly concerned about running out of water – a concern that will extend through the winter if we don’t get rain before freeze-up.
But if crisis is opportunity, this drought is a perfect time to develop good water conservation habits – habits that make sense not just during dry spells but all year, every year. So here are some tips.
Let’s start with the biggest single user of water in most homes: the toilet:
- Make sure the float in your tank is set properly and that it fully shuts off water flow once the tank is full. Your tank should be totally quiet once it’s full. If you can hear sound, it could be a sign of a slow leak in your valve that is wasting water.
- Make sure that your toilet isn’t leaking water into the bowl. An easy way to check is to put food colouring in the tank and wait a few minutes. If the water in the bowl becomes coloured, there’s a leak. If you hear the tank filling up periodically when the toilet hasn’t been flushed, it’s another sign of a leak. Replacing a flapper, an inexpensive part, is a pretty easy project for a do-it-yourselfer.
- Make sure your toilet is a low flow model that uses six litres or less per flush; if it’s not, installing a low flow toilet will probably be the best water saving measure you can take.
- If you’re hardcore, ‘when it’s yellow, let it mellow; when it’s brown, flush it down.’ Huge savings potential, though the toilet will require more frequent cleaning.
Other bathroom:
- Turn off your faucet while brushing your teeth. (How did letting the faucet run ever become such a bad and illogical habit??)
- Make sure you have a low-flow shower head – another easy installation for a do-it-yourselfer, and one that will pay for itself quickly.
- If your shower has a diverter from tub to showerhead, make sure it isn’t leaking a bunch of your hot water into the tub while you’re showering. (I recently stayed in a hotel room with a very leaky diverter; what a waste of hot water every day with every guest!)
- Take fewer and shorter showers; big savings potential!
General:
- Put a jug of water for drinking in the fridge so you don’t need to run the tap to get cold water.
- Make sure your faucets have aerators / flow restrictors, which reduce water use while still giving the sensation of nice pressure.
- Make sure to fix any leaks, as even a slow drip adds up. For example, a faucet dripping ten times per minute leaks over 1300 litres per year.
- If you hand wash dishes, do it in a basin of water, not under running water. If you use a dishwasher, only run it when full.
- Wash only full loads of clothes.
- Use a front-loading washer, which uses far less water than top-loading washers.
- Capture rainwater with a barrel under your downspout and use it for your garden and for washing your car.
- Wash your car with a pail of water, not a hose.
And – pray for rain!
