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Posted on April 1, 2006 by Alyce Ortolano | Posted under Home and Family
Save Water With A Faucet Aerator
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If you reduce your use of hot water you can reduce your heating costs. 70% of the shower water is hot water. If you install a low flow shower head and faucet aerators you can reduce your water consumption and heating costs by 50%. A faucet aerator will replace the head screen on your faucet which will then lower the flow of the water by adding air into the spray. A low flow showerhead will also introduce air into the mix creating a high volume spray which makes it feel like there is more water coming out. In the early 1990s regulations were implemented that restricted the maximum water flow that faucets were able to supply. These regulations were implemented to ensure that all faucets provided at least minimal benefits. There are two types of low flow showerheads or faucets aerating which is the most demanded and non aerating. An aerating system mixes air with the water creating a steady pressure and a full spray shower. The non aerating system adds a pulse to the stream of water which maintains the temperature while delivering a strong spray. A standard bathroom or kitchen faucet will use anywhere from 4 to 7 gallons of water per minute. That means just washing a sink full of dishes will use 120 gallons of water. A non conserving showerhead will use anywhere from 5 to 8 gallons of water per minute which means in 5 minute shower you will use 40 gallons of water. Installing a faucet aerator give you the potential to save about 8000 gallons of water in a year. And they are super easy to install! It will reduce the flow rate from 7 gpm to 2.75 gpm saving 44% over a non conserving faucet or showerhead. When you reduce the need for hot water you reduce the amount of energy you need or use. In the big picture that means emissions are down. In fact your household alone can reduce emissions by 370 pounds of carbon dioxide in one year. Most new kitchen faucets have a 2.2 GPM aerator. Bathroom faucets usually run 1.5 GPM and as low as 1.0 GPM. If there is already an aerator it should tell you on the side what the gallons per minute flow rate is. If there is no aerator already installed you need to check that there are threads on the inside of your faucet head. Most modern faucets will have this thread but older ones may not. It is required to install an aerator. You can install an aerator for anywhere from $5 to $10 and a low flow showerhead for anywhere from $10 to $50. In fact there are some water saving devices available for $5 while designer models can cost $300. You should know that different faucets and showerheads have different spray quality and it pays to check consumer reports so that you arent disappointed. Installing a faucet aerator is a very simple undertaking and yet by doing so youll save money and do your part to contribute to the health of the environment. About The Author: Alyce is an author of Decorz.com. If you're looking for more faucets |
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