How to Make Your Faucets and Showerheads Water Efficient

Did you know that Americans use about 40 billion gallons of fresh water EVERY day! In 1992 Congress legislated that all new faucets and shower heads use 2.5 gallons per minute or less, which has helped water conservation efforts. So it may surprise you to hear that the average shower uses 30 gallons of water or more! Don’t worry…there’s something you can do that’s cost effective and fast to save water and lower utility bills in your home.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• -adjustable wrench or channel pliers -towel/rag -white vinegar -new faucets or showerheads -plumbers tape

1. 1. It’s not necessary to shutoff the water to your shower. If you feel more comfortable with the water off, locate your shutoff valve. In some instances it is necessary to turn off the water in your bathroom by turning off your main water shutoff valve. It’s a good idea to know the location of this valve incase of an emergency.
2. 2. Use an adjustable wrench or pliers to remove the showerhead and allow all the excess water to drain..
3. 3. Clean the pipe’s threads thoroughly with vinegar and allow the pipe to dry completely.
4. 4. Wrap the pipe’s threads once with plumbers tape. This will ensure a good fit with the showerhead.
5. 5. Attach the new showerhead to the pipe fitting and rotate until secure. Be careful not to over tighten. I recommend using your hands for this step as a wrench or pliers can damage the showerhead and may cause you to over tighten. You can always use your wrench or pliers to tighten if needed, but be sure to wrap your showerhead with a cloth beforehand so that you don't damage your new fixture.
6. 6. Turn on the water and watch for leaks. If the showerhead leaks, tighten ¼ turn and retest. Remember not to over tighten.

Tips & Warnings

• I highly recommend using Teflon brand plumbers tape. Here are some tips for using plumbers tape: • Wrap the male threads at end of the pipe but do not lap over the end. Doing so may result in reduced water pressure or even clogs from bits of the tape that get into the water supply. • Start with a couple loops around at the end, then wrap all the threads, overlapping half the width of the tape on each wind. • Wrap in the direction of the threads starting from the end and proceeding toward the length of the pipe. Wrapping the wrong way may result in the tape coming unwound as the fittings are tightened. So if you will rotate the showerhead clockwise to attach, you’ll wrap the tape clockwise as well • As you wrap, keep tension on the tape so that it is pulled into the threads. • When you remove the showerhead or any fitting, always remove the old tape and rewrap with a fresh piece.
• Avoid over tightening
• wrap fixtures with towel before using pliers/wrench to avoid damaging the