Tips For Your Home Or Office
| Tip: Keep your septic system running smoothly |
| How: Failed septic systems can allow untreated sewage to seep into wells, groundwater, and surface waterbodies -- where you get your drinking water and swim. Failed septic systems also contaminate our lakes, pollute water supplies, and create offensive odors. Have your septic tank inspected and pumped regularly by a licensed septic tank contractor every 3 to 5 years.
Pumping your septic tank is the most important thing you can do to protect your septic system. If the buildup of solids in the tank gets too high and solids move into the drainfield, your drainfield will clog and strain your system, causing your drainfield to fail. Then you will have to replace the whole drainfield.
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| Tip: Keep your loved ones safe |
| How: All circuits in the bathroom need to be equipped with GFI protection. GFI stands for Ground Fault Interrupter. These circuits will turn the power off in a fraction of a second in the event of a short. This will help to keep you and your loved ones from being injured in the event of an electrical short circuit. |
| Tip: Short showers save water |
| How: To be a water saver, install a low-flow showerhead and keep showers under 5 minutes. Turn off the water to soap up. |
| Tip: Flush only when necessary |
| How: Avoid using the toilet for a wastebasket. Every flush you can eliminate can save between two and seven gallons of water |
| Tip: Test your toilet |
| How: Leaks waste water. Add several drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. If it"s leaking, the coloring will appear in the toilet without flushing. |
| Tip: Reduce water use |
| How: If you don"t have a low flow toilet, use plastic bottles filled with water and pebbles to displace water in the tank. Don"t obstruct float and don"t use bricks. |
| Tip: Brush teeth efficiently |
| How: Don"t let the water run while you brush your teeth or shave. Turn the faucet on briefly to rinse. An electric razor saves the most. |
| Tip: Conserve water |
| How: Filling the tub uses about 50 gallons of water. Try bathing in just 10 gallons. Plug the tub when you shower; how full does the tub get? |
| Tip: Wash clothes wisely |
| How: Match washer"s load selector to your load size. Try to wash only full loads. Minimize detergent use. Save energy by using cold water to wash. |
| Tip: Save water and energy |
| How: Buying a new washing machine? Choose wisely. Find the ones that conserves water and energy and has a suds saver attachment. |
| Tip: Prepare food efficiently |
| How: Speed cleaning food by using a vegetable brush. Spray water in short bursts. Faucet aerators cut consumption. |
| Tip: Reduce dishwashing |
| How: Use a rubber spatula to scrape dishes clean to limit pre-rinse. Let really dirty pans or dishes soak to speed washing. |
| Tip: Use fewer dishes |
| How: Limit dishwasher use to full loads. Minimize detergent use. Prepare food with an eye to reducing dishwashing. |
| Tip: Wash cars efficiently |
| How: Choose a car wash that recycles water. At home, use a shut-off nozzle and wash your car in small sections. Direct runoff to water landscaping. |
| Tip: Cover pool or spa |
| How: Cover pools and spas to reduce evaporation. Avoid overflows and splashes by reducing water levels. Water landscape with wading pool water. |
| Tip: Find a better way |
| How: Avoid using garbage disposals. Compost or feed leftovers to pets when possible. Use recycled water in disposal. |
| Tip: Don"t blow it away |
| How: Limit the loss of expensive heated air to the outside. Use fans sparingly. In just one hour, these fans can blow away a house full of warm air. |
| Tip: Sorry Santa |
| How: Keep fireplace dampers tightly closed until you prepare to light a fire. An open damper in a 48-inch square fireplace can let as much as 8% of our heat escape out the chimney. |
| Tip: Caulk it up |
| How: Caulking and weather stripping are reasonably easy, so you may be able to save money by doing the job yourself. Reducing air leaks to a minimum may also allow you to lower the thermostat on your system without any discomfort. |
| Tip: Don"t jack it up |
| How: Lower your thermostat to about 65 degrees F during the day and 60 degrees F at night. For each degree you turn down your thermostat, you"ll save 3% on heating bills. |
| Tip: Fireplace can cause heat loss |
| How: When using the fireplace, open dampers in the bottom of the firebox if provided, or open the closet window about 1 inch and close the doors leading into the room. This allows more air for the fire without reducing heat loss. |
| Tip: Try this out |
| How: Make a draft detector by clipping a piece of tissue paper to a coat hanger. Hold the coat hanger in front of a suspected crack; any movement indicates a leak in need of caulking or weather stripping. |
| Tip: Kids off to college? |
| How: Avoid heating unused areas by closing off unoccupied rooms and shutting off heat vents. (Does not apply if you have a heat pump) |
| Tip: Keep it up to par |
| How: Keep the heating system well tuned with periodic maintenance by a professional service. Once a year is a good bet. |
| Tip: What does R mean? |
| How: Learn about R values before you buy your insulation materials. These numbers indicate resistance of an insulation material to winter heat loss or summer heat gain. |
| Tip: Old windows can cost you a bundle |
| How: Consider installing storm windows and doors. Storm windows can be both energy efficient and convenient. Good windows can result in cost savings of as much as 15% a year. |
| Tip: Upgrade your old thermostat |
| How: Consider the advantages of a clock thermostat for your heating system. The clock thermostat will turn the heat down automatically at a regular hour before you retire and turn it up again before you wake. |
| Tip: Keep it closed |
| How: Close windows and doors during hot days and open them at night |
| Tip: Put those drapes to use |
| How: Close drapes and shades during hot days |
| Tip: Eat out in the summer |
| How: Reduce use of oven, incandescent lights and appliances that generate heat ~ stay cool |
| Tip: Spin cycle |
| How: To stay cool, use ceiling fans to cool individual rooms |
| Tip: Consider this |
| How: To stay cool, consider installing a whole house fan in the attic |
| Tip: Use a precise method |
| How: Get a timer for air conditioners so they can be off all day and turned on before you get home. |
| Tip: Try this on your house |
| How: Time for a new color? Use light colors when painting the house and trim. |
| Tip: Not just for a hammock |
| How: Stay cool by planting shade trees on the sunny side of the house. |
| Tip: Save some water… |
| How: Replacing an old shower head can save up to 7.5 gallons of water per minute without sacrificing full spray action at low or high water pressures. |
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© 2005 Adams Electric & Plumbing