Tips to Conserve Water

Phoenix, Arizona - Arizona is entering its second decade of a statewide drought. In fact,
in May of this year, Governor Napolitano signed a Drought Declaration for the State of
Arizona that was designed to raise awareness for Arizona's drought and encourage
conservation. In June, Arizona Project WET began teacher training workshops so they
can educate kids in grades K-12 to conserve water. All Arizonans need to be aware of
our drought and determine ways they can conserve water.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is leading the way in water conservation; they offer a
number of products and services both inside and outside your home to help Valley
residents save our precious resource. Having Benjamin Franklin install water efficient
fixtures and check for leaks can reduce water consumption by nearly 30%, which comes
to nearly 52 gallons PER DAY.

It's a great time to implement a home check to ensure homes are water efficient. In an effort to highlight ways we can all conserve water, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing pulled together a list of 11 simple things we can do to save our local water supplies:

• Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at the rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year, which will add to the cost of water and sewer utilities, or strain your septic system.
• Retrofit all wasteful household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors.
• Flush hot water tanks as part of your home maintenance check up, this will keep them running more efficiently and conserve energy. When its time to replace your hot water tank consider replacing it with a tankless hot water heater which can reduce energy costs, lasts approximately 20 years-nearly twice as long as conventional water heaters-and even offers tax benefits.
• Kitchen sink disposals require lots of water to operate properly. Start a compost pile as an alternate method of disposing food waste instead of using a garbage disposal. Garbage disposals also can add 50% to the volume of solids in a septic tank, which can lead to malfunctions and maintenance problems.
• Before you lather up, install a low-flow showerhead. They are inexpensive, easy to install, and can save your family more than 500 gallons a week.
• Install automatic shut-off nozzles on all outside hoses.
• Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
• Verify that your home is leak-free. Read your water meter before and after a twohour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there may be a leak.
• Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month.
• Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save 4 gallons a minute. That's 200 gallons a week for a family of four.
• Change your water conidtioning to EasyWater, it does not regenerate into our eco system like a Water Softener and can save you thousands of gallons of water every month.

With the end of the Valley's drought no where in site, it is important that each of us do
our part in conserving the water we do have. If you need a home water inspection,
contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing at 1-866-867-5309 or by visiting their Web site at
www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com. They can make sure your home is water efficient and
help spot potential plumbing problems before they happen.