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Unless you live in the permanently arid Southwest, summer usually means more water use and higher water and sewer bills. Even if you draw water from a well, the increased water use also means higher electric bills and more wear on the pump. but for many, this summer, the concern isnt just about higher bills. With parts of the country suffering from prolonged dry spells and drought, many communities have implemented water use restrictions and water conservation has become a summertime necessity. The good news is that a few small changes to your daily routine and a couple of quick fixes around the house can save you both water and money -- this summer, and year 'round!

In the house

• turn that faucet off. While you brush your teeth, that is, and save about 2 gallons a minute. Do that every time you brush and save an extra 240 gallons a month. turn the faucet off while you shave and save even more.
• Use the shower; skip the tub. Youd think it would be the other way around, right? but, a five-minute shower typically uses only 10-25 gallons of water while a full tub uses about 70 gallons. To keep shower time to a minimum, dont run the shower while you shave. If you like your leisurely soaks, stopper the drain right away and adjust the temperature as you fill up.
• Wash a full load of clothes. With the average washer using about 41 gallons a load, the more loads you do, and the more water you use. To cut down on water use, wait until you have a full load.
• Fix that leaky toilet. You know the sound: the sudden hissing of water as the tank fills itself back up, but you didnt just flush. Or, you might notice a regular damp spot on the floor below the tank. A leaking toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water a day!
• Fix leaky faucets and showerheads. A little drip might not seem like much, but a faucet dripping at the rate of 1 drop per second wastes about 2,700 gallons a year.

In the yard

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a typical single-family household uses about 30 percent of its water outside, on lawns, landscaping and gardens. As much as 50 percent of that water is wasted through evaporation or runoff. To avoid this kind of waste and lower your water bill use the following tips.

• outdoor faucets leaking? Those little drips can be costly, too.
• Water early or late in the day, while the sun is low and the air is cooler, so less water is wasted through evaporation (be aware, your community may have watering restrictions in effect, and observe those).
• If you hand water, aim at the base of the plant, where the roots are; you dont have to water the entire plant.
• Set sprinklers (preferably the droplet and not the mist-type) so they water only your vegetation and not your driveway, sidewalk or street.
• Time your sprinkler use so you dont overwater (overwatering can be as harmful to your landscape as not watering enough). simple timers are available for under $15 that hook right up to your faucet.

What else you can do

These steps involve a little more effort and/or money but have a timely payback and offer long-term savings through consistently lower water bills.

• Think about a new toilet. Toilets made before 1992 use anywhere from 3.57 gallons per flush. Newer models use, on average, less than 2 gallons per flush. high-efficiency toilets use about 1.3 gallons per flush resulting in a 10-year cost savings of about $1,000 for a family of four without compromising performance. but, if youre worried about the flush factor (will it all go down?), consider a dual-flush toilet that uses less water for liquid waste removal, and more water for solid waste removal.
• Consider an automatic irrigation system. If youre spending a great deal of time hand-watering, or moving your sprinkler from place to place, an automatic irrigation system is an excellent investment. Of course, a system that waters even if its raining wont save you much, but PC programmable and self-adjusting systems are available now that offer a drop in water use of 8-60 percent (depending on how arid your particular climate is) and can pay for themselves in as little as 8 months to a couple of years (again, depending on climate).
• Use a soaker hose or drip irrigation. If an irrigation system is out of the question for your entire yard, consider using a soaker hose or drip irrigation around your landscaping and garden. A soaker hose emits water gently along its entire length directly to the base of the plant and little is lost through runoff or evaporation (you can even make your own soaker from a length of old garden hose). Drip-irrigation systems accomplish the same thing, with drip holes called emitters spaced at intervals along the hose. Drip systems will cost a bit more. With either of these methods, youll find youll have to water less often and use less water when you do. Attach a simple hose timer and you can save even more.

Sources: u.s. EPA, Popular Mechanics, Natural Remodeling (2006, Lark Books).

Liz Pauley is a staff writer for ranchrevival.com, a website devoted to owners of ranch style houses, old and new.

Most people fix dripping taps as a matter of urgency. Economy is one reason, professionals usually charge a lot for their time that a householder may save a considerable amount of money by doing the job themselves. The second reason might be the thought of having to find a good plumber, then having a complete stranger in their homes. Beyond that chore, plumbing is generally left to plumbers. But, does the plumbing industry deliver the goods? Recently, there has been a revolution in plumbing techniques and requirements. Water supplies are under constantly increasing demand, and care and economy has become essential.

Having a carefully planned plumbing system, every household can enjoy the many convinces it offers and at the same time can keep its water consumption down.

-Repairing a dripping tap while it is still in the drop-by-drop stage saves an amazing quantity of water- a slow trickle wastes a bathful of water a day, and a steady stream wastes enough water to meet all the family's daily needs.

-Repairing a faulty float valve in a W.C cisterns will prevent an incessant overflow that can be irritating to hear as well as extremely wasteful of water.

-Replacing an old W.C cistern with a new pan and a cistern designated to save water can reduce water consumption by many litres a day. The double flushing type makes it possible to choose whet ever to use all or only half of the water in the cistern.

-If you have a shower fitted, you can use a fraction of the hot water required for a bath, giving savings both in water consumption and in fuel required for heating

-During winter, turn down the heating just a few degrees and just put a jumper on, happy in the knowledge that you have done the right thing.

Dan B works for http://www.robuild.co.uk and helps running the Plumbing Department

Last spring I had a problem with my swimming pool that stumped both my pool supply company and myself. It was during early Florida spring when all of that yellow dust or pollen is in the air. My pool began to get cloudier and cloudier and the filter could not seem to keep up with clearing the water. Usually during this time of the year the sand filter had no trouble keeping up with the pollen. It just needed to be back-flushed more often.

This year it was different. As the days went by I was no longer able to see the bottom of the pool and it wasnt getting any better. At that time I figured that I better take a water sample down to the pool chemical supplier and have them test it. When I tested it always came back with readings indicating that all of the chemicals were in their ideal range. The pool chemical supplier said that the water looked ok and that my problem is most likely yellow or mustard algae. I bought chemicals to treat the algae which required that the filter be running for twenty-four hours to be effective. When I checked the water the next day it was even worse yet. I went back to the pool chemical company and they told me that the process would work it just took time, but that I should start seeing results.

After not seeing results I went to a different pool supply company and the people there knew what the problem was right away just by looking at the water sample that I had brought in. They said that it was the filter. The sand in the filter had become ineffective so I changed the sand and ran the filter for another twenty-four hours and it cleared right up. It turned out that the sand in a sand filter can lose its edges over a few years of being in a filter so the contaminants just pass right through it and back into the pool.

It definitely would have benefited me to get a second opinion before I took any action on trying to fix the cloudy water problem. The cost of running the filter all of those extra hours and the algae chemical were unnecessary expenses.

Changing the sand in a pool filter is routine maintenance that should be done every two years. To keep it running at its peak performance.

Bob Crane is a Nutrition Consultant and involved in introducing an extraordinary new Internet Work at Home Based Goji Juice Business System. Check out the new Goji Juice Storefront Contact him online at: www.domesticbiz.com

After cough and cold, back pain is perhaps the second most annoying disease that makes people queue up in front of doctor's chamber. There are several causes behind back pain. In this article I will tell you how to alleviate back pain using some simple techniques.

You should keep in mind that contrary to what most people seem to believe, back pain is not caused by any single cause or event. You may think that you have got that back pain because you lifted a piece of paper or a tool but jog your memory a little and you will realize that in the past you have been doing certain things improperly for a long time; perhaps you have been sitting or standing in the wrong posture, or perhaps you have been sitting in one place for a pretty long time, or perhaps you have been lifting heavy weights for hours. However you needn't worry, because you are not the only one who happens to suffer from back pain. In fact, in America itself, more than 2.5 million people suffer from back pain. And you will be happy to know that most backaches get cured by themselves. But in case your back pain persists even after a few days, you can use the following methods to alleviate back pain.

1. Back ache is mostly caused because of too much strain on the spinal cord. For this reason, I would advise you to discontinue all your normal physical activities at least for the next two weeks. This should ease the strain on your back and hopefully it will help alleviate back pain.

2. Extreme temperatures can often alleviate back pain. Apply cold ice on the painful area for at least a few hours, and then apply heat at the same place.

3. Some folks advise people to stay away from over-the-counter pills. Well, the good news is that over-the-counter pills actually work in case of back pain! To alleviate back pain, medicines such as ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) are really very effective. For dosage instructions, see the printed instructions on the medicine bottles. Make sure that you don't get yourself over-dosed.

4. If you have a habit of sleeping on your back, try to put a pillow or towel under your knees and then sleep as that will ease the pressure on your back. Once your back is relieved from pressure, it will be easier to alleviate back pain.

5. After about two or three weeks, when hopefully, your back pain is alleviated a little, you can start having exercises. You should concentrate on stretching as well as some light cardio exercises. You can do these exercises for a week or two, but make sure that you don't try to lift heavy weights yet! In fact you should not lift any heavy weights at least for the next six weeks. Also, some activities are harmful for your back and should never be done when you are suffering from back pain. Activities such as ballet, golf, jogging, football, weight lifting, leg lifts while lying on your stomach, sit-ups (unless with bent knees), etc., can increase your back pain.

If you need more information on how to alleviate back pain, simply click on the link in my resource box below!

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