Most of us know we can save water if we turn off the tap while brushing our teeth (as much as 3,000 gallons per year!), but did you know that there are products that will help save water when you turn on the tap too? WaterSense, a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), can help you identify high-performance, water-efficient bathroom sink faucets and faucet accessories that can reduce water use in the home and help preserve the nation's water resources. Faucets account for more than 15 percent of indoor household water use—more than 1 trillion gallons of water across the UnitedWaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets and accessories can reduce a sink's water flow by 30 percent or more without sacrificingWe could save billions of gallons each year by retrofitting the country's 222 million bathroom sink faucets with models that have earned the WaterSense label. All products bearing the WaterSense label complete a third-party

certification process that includes independent laboratory testing to ensure they meet EPA criteria. Faucets and faucet accessories—products that can be attached easily to existing faucets to save water—that obtain the WaterSense label will have demonstrated both water efficiency and the ability to provide adequate flow. By installing WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets or faucet accessories, an average household can save more than 500 gallonsAlso, since these water savings will reduce demands on water heaters, households will also save energy. savings can be as easy as twisting on a WaterSense labeled aerator, which can cost as little as a few dollars. If every household in the United States installed WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucets or faucet accessories, we could save more than $350 million in water utility bills and more than 60 billion gallons of water annually—enough to meet public water demand in Miami for more than 150 days!

addition, U.S. homes could avoid about $600 million in energy costs Whether replacing an older, inefficient faucet that's wasting water and money, or simply looking for options to reduce water use inLab Puppies For Sale Grand Rapids your home, choose a WaterSense labeled bathroom sink faucet or faucetPocket Pitbull Puppies For Sale NyThe next time you wash your hands or brush your teeth,Graco Car Seat Preemie you'll know that you're doing your part to help protect our preciousFor more information, please visit the WaterSense This document is also available in PDF (1 pg, 308K, About PDF).3there is a ground wire loose. usually where the hose bib is. A hot air balloon hit the high voltage line and caused a surge of electricity in the line the nearest ground was a house 1/4 mile away.

the clamp was loose and sparked and made a hole in the pipe. All houses have a ground wire.You may need to test your hot water system to isolate a low pressure problem. If you've just installed a new water heater and find that the water pressure is lower than you expect, a series of tests can help you isolate the problem, which may not be the result of replacing the heater. A heater input or output pipe could be blocked, or the main pressure to the house could be low. If the problem happens only at a particular fixture, that fixture may be blocked or defective. Water Tank Hum New water heaters often are equipped with heat traps to improve energy efficiency, and you may hear a humming or whistling sound from one of the traps in a newly installed heater. The sound is produced by water flow being restricted, and that restriction also can cause low water pressure. The solution is to turn off the tank, close the water valves, unscrew the heat traps from the pipes and replace them with dielectric nipples that don't restrict water flow.

Dielectric nipples have an internal plastic coating to prevent metal-to-metal contact between copper and galvanized pipes that causes corrosion. Isolating Blockages Low pressure is often due to debris that lodges in the pipes and restricts water flow. If there's debris in your pipes, you can localize it with a pressure gauge. Screw the gauge into the water heater drain valve, open the valve and note the pressure, then turn on a hot faucet in the house. If the pressure gauge shows a significant drop, the cold inlet to the heater probably is blocked. If the pressure doesn't drop, open two more hot water faucets; if it still doesn't drop, this indicates the outlet from the water heater is blocked. In the latter case, it may be sediment left over from the old heater. Crossover Crossover occurs when cold water gets into the hot water pipes. Although it doesn't lower the overall water pressure, it lowers the availability of hot water. Crossover may be the result of a defective single-handled faucet or a leak in the tank connections.

You can check for crossover by turning off the hot water outlet at the tank and opening hot water faucets in the house. If any water comes out of them, you have crossover. You may have to listen for flowing water at the water heater and all the faucets in the house to locate the source of the crossover. Considerations It's possible that you didn't open the water heater valves all the way when you installed the heater, so that should be the first thing you check. It's also possible that the pressure entering the house is low or that you have a defective pressure regulator. You can check the former by opening an outdoor spigot. If the pressure there is low, suspect a problem with the well or city water; if it's normal, the pressure problem is probably in your plumbing system. Low pressure problems at individual fixtures are often the result of a blocked aerator, which is easy to remove and clean. References Water Heater Timer: How to Troubleshoot Electric Water HeaterWater Heater Timer: Low Hot Water PressureWater Heater Timer: Crossover Photo Credits Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images Suggest a Correction