10 Ways to Save Water Around the House and Why It Matters

Table Of Content

• How to Unclog a Sink: Step-by-Step Guide
• Get free shipping plus 10% off the Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff today.
• Total control in the palm of your hand
• Parts of Southern California don’t have enough water to meet demand, sparking sweeping cuts
• Turning Off the Water Supply
• PLumbing
• Sweeping California water conservation rules could force big cuts in some areas

She earned her bachelor’s in literature from UC Santa Cruz in 2012 and a journalism certificate from East Los Angeles College in 2017. Shut-offs were also longer in low-income and communities of color. Customers with an annual income of less than $50,000 had an average shut-off duration of 22.3 hours, compared with customers who made from $100,000 to $150,000; their average duration was 6.2 hours. And if you believe your water and utility provider is not complying with the law, you can file a complaint through the California Department of Justice‘s website.

How to Unclog a Sink: Step-by-Step Guide

While turning off the water supply to your house is a simple task, some individuals may prefer to seek professional assistance. Plumbers have the necessary expertise and experience to handle plumbing-related tasks safely and efficiently. They can help you locate the main water supply valve, ensure it is shut off correctly, and provide guidance on any necessary repairs or improvements. When a pipe or joint gives way, the main valve must be shut down, or water flow will continue to pour through the water supply pipes and can lead to flooding and significant water damage.

Get free shipping plus 10% off the Flo Smart Water Monitor and Shutoff today.

Use this guide to learn where to find the main shut-off valve and how to turn off the water in your house. Use these tips to locate the main water shut-off valve and stop the flow of water to your home. In some cases, it’s more effective to turn off the water to a single faucet or plumbing fixture instead of shutting down the water to the entire home. Not only does this take less time because you don’t need to drain the water from the whole house, but it also allows you to continue using the plumbing in the rest of the home. Reducing your time in the shower can make a big difference in your daily water consumption, but replacing your old shower head with a WaterSense-labeled model can help even more. "By replacing just one shower head with a WaterSense-labeled model, EPA estimates the average family can save 2,700 gallons of water and the energy required to heat it," says Todd.

Total control in the palm of your hand

While we hope that these plumbing emergencies don’t happen, it’s still a good idea to be prepared just in case. Use this ultimate guide to learn how to turn off the water to your house. This valve should always be completely open or completely closed—never used half open to control the amount of flow into the house.

"Plugging the sink and using the sink as a water basin saves the amount of water used when washing by hand," says Colarulli. Really value the security it provides and the measurement of water usage. Every fixture in your home has a unique usage pattern, and your smart water system will monitor when and where you’re using the most water. To find out what you may qualify for, utility providers like DWP have financial assistance qualification forms you can complete online. Valves often become stuck open because they are rusted or corroded.

If you’re having trouble locating these valves and don’t want to remove items from your wall, you may be best off turning off the main shut-off valve to work on your shower or bathtub. Many water meter setups have two valves, one on the street side of the meter and one on the house side. If you live in a colder climate, you’ll typically find the main shutoff in the basement near the front of the house. In warmer climates, it will be outside your home attached to an exterior wall or in an underground box with a removable lid. After closing off the main shutoff valve, turn on a faucet in your home located on a lower floor, such as in a basement or even outdoors.

Without water, the toilet cannot flush waste effectively, leading to unpleasant odors and potential hygiene issues. It is best to address any plumbing problems promptly rather than resorting to turning off the water supply for an extended period. In addition to turning off the water supply and inspecting the plumbing systems, there are a few other precautions you should take before leaving for vacation. While shutting off the water is essential for vacation, it’s equally important to take note of another often-forgotten aspect—your water heater.

Some monitors can also be wired into a centrally monitored alarm system, and some versions provide options for calling you by phone when the alarm sounds. Temperature sensors can detect furnace breakdowns and can help prevent frozen pipes and resulting water damage when interior temperatures dip. Temperature sensors, which come in battery-operated models and wired versions, turn on or off any device plugged into them depending on the air temperature. A lamp plugged into the sensor will turn on when the temperature inside the house falls below a certain level, alerting a neighbor to call you or a service person. However, emergencies aren’t the only time a homeowner might need to turn off the water. When an old valve needs to be replaced, a faucet leaks, or a toilet needs to be removed, the water must be turned off to avoid flooding the immediate vicinity.

Sweeping California water conservation rules could force big cuts in some areas

This enables both cold and hot water to flow to the faucet as well as dishwashers. In some cases, the valve is located on a pipe right before the water heater and may have a red handle. In older homes, finding a main water shut-off valve within the home is a bit trickier, as they weren’t necessarily standard and regulated when the plumbing was installed. In fact, many likely never got upgraded orr they did have a main shut-off located somewhere in the yard, but it’s been covered by grass and lost to time. Once you’ve turned the main water supply off, you’ll want to release the pressure from the system.

For a refrigerator with a shut off valve under the kitchen sink, take your time to locate the right valve and turn it clockwise as well. It is supplied with cold water by a supply line which is connected to the toilet fill valve from underneath the toilet tank. If you’re leaving your home for an extended period of time or if you’re dealing with an emergency, you’ll need to access the main shut-off valve.

At the heart of the crisis is a worsening drought that has gripped California and the American Southwest. The extreme dryness has left Southern California with a dwindling water supply. There are ways to save water that don’t directly involve your home usage. We’ve all been through this drill so many times, as some of the obvious water-saving steps have become almost second nature. "Use mulch around trees and shrubs (away from the stem or trunk) to keep the soil cool and moist," says Todd. Soil left in the open dries out much faster, meaning you’ll have to water it far more often.

Doing this allows any standing water to drain out of the plumbing system before you begin working on the pipes. For instance, if you are replacing the faucet at the kitchen sink, then you can simply turn off the isolation valve located under the sink, instead of draining the water for the whole home. Before there’s any urgency (or water all over the floor) at your place, consider familiarizing yourself now with how to turn off the water supply. Show family members, too, where the valves are and how to cut them off quickly. This knowledge will make regular maintenance easier, and it could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in repair costs in a worst-case scenario. Yes, it is recommended to turn off the water overnight, even if it may seem like a brief period.

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Today, Kristi is a full-time investing and real estate journalist working with notable publications such as Forbes, US News and World Report and The Motley Fool. Cleaning your gutters and making sure they’re functioning properly is one of the most essential tasks to do around the house. Downspouts should discharge water at least 10 ft. from the house. If you have a well, shut off the electrical switch for the well when you leave for an extended period so it won’t pump any water while you’re gone. In Connecticut, limited testing has found PFAS in wells, school drinking water and in several rivers. The Farmington, Shetucket, and Hockanum rivers have fish consumption advisories due to PFAS contamination.