Water-Saving Devices

For each slide, discuss this question with your partner.

What do you think these devices are used for? How does it save water?

Dual Flush ToiletThis type of toilet flushes half a flush if you press the #1 button (liquid only) and a full flush if you press the #2 button .

#1#2

Toilet TummyFill this bag with water and place in the tank behind your toilet. It saves water because the tank doesn’t have to fill as full each time.

Toilet TabsThese tablets can be used to determine if you have a leak in your toilet or not. Simply place it in the tank of the toilet, wait 1020 minutes and check if there is any blue color to the water in the toilet bowl. If there is, you have a leak and are wasting water without intending to. Checking for leaks and fixing them quickly can save hundreds of gallons of water per year.

Shower TimerThis 5 minute timer is placed in your shower and helps you to pace your shower so that you don’t spend longer than 5 minutes running the water. Just twist it when you get in and the sand starts to run to the opposite end of the timer. When it runs out … you get out.

Lady BugDo you let the water run when it’s getting hot? This “Lady Bug” is installed in between your shower head and the pipe that connects it to the water source, and helps to reduce the amount of water lost by shutting the shower off when the water is warm. Then, when you are ready to get in, you pull the cord to turn the shower back on.

Faucet AeratorThis little device is like a little screen that the water has to pass through to come out of the faucet. It helps save water because it decreases the rate of the flow of water (less water flows through the faucet in a given time period) while it also increases the pressure of the faucet (so you don’t feel like you need to use as much). These can be found inexpensively at any hardware store, so they are a cheap and easy way to save water.

Rubber Washers for Faucet RepairsLike you learned about with toilets, leaks can waste a lot of water! If you see a faucet dripping, that means the rubber washer needs to be replaced. These are another cheap and easy repair, and can save a lot of water and money.

Lawn Hose SprayerThis device saves water in the same way the faucet aerator does. It funnels water from the hose through narrow nozzles so it decreases the amount of water used while increasing the pressure so we don’t need to use as much.

Shower Head with Pause ButtonThis specially designed shower head has a button that turns the water on and off, so you can turn the water off while shampooing your hair or washing your body, and then turn it on just to rinse off.

Can you think of others?

Which of these do you think you could use at home?