Going Green Vanguard Plumbing, Inc. is proud to be Going Green! In today's economy and with the state of our environment we at Vanguard have found some sustainable solutions that will not only help you save money while conveniently enhancing your lifestyle, but will also help protect our planet as well! It is time for plumbing to be the solution and not the problem! Today's luxury-minded homeowners are not only concerned about a product's style, but also the impact it has on the environment. Fortunately, going green doesn't mean sacrificing performance or style. Achieving a green bathroom doesn't mean using a weak showerhead with very little pressure, or installing a toilet that doesn't flush well. Today's manufacturers have made great strides to create products that are not only stylish, but also offer superior performance and quality... all while offering sustainable benefits. When it comes to going green, few aspects of your home have more potential than your plumbing. Greening your plumbing can reduce home energy costs, improve your home from a health perspective, and it's easier on the environment. If those improvements sound like something you'd be interested in, then read on to find out what you can do to turn your plumbing a darker shade of green. Ways to Start Plumbing Green Low-Flow Showers and Faucets-Low-flow showers and can reduce home water usage by as much as 60 percent! And since you'll be using less hot water in the process, these easy green upgrades are good for the environment and your pocketbook at the same time. Low-Flush Toilets-Flushing your toilet accounts for the single biggest water draw in your home, to the tune of about 28 gallons of water per person, per day. A typical low-flush toilet uses anywhere from two to five times less water per flush, depending on the toilet you presently have installed. Home Leak Monitoring Device-Leaking pipes, faucets, and toilets can account for literally thousands of gallons of wasted water every month. A home leak monitoring device will alert you when it senses a problem, so you can find and fix the problem as soon as possible. Faucet Flow Reducers-These easy-to-install flow reducers fit on the end of your faucets (where the aerator screws on), and can reduce faucet flow by as much as 40 percent. Energy-Efficient Appliances-Energy-efficient dishwashers and clothes washers can reduce water consumption at these appliances by as much as 50 percent.

TIPS TO CONSERVE WATER...

• Run your washing machine and dishwasher only when they are full and you could save 1000 gallons a month.
• Don't let the water run while you brush your teeth and you could save up to 4 gallons a minute - 200 gallons a week for a family of four.
• A leaky faucet could waste up to 140 gallons a week!
• When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load, and try to only do a full load.
• Installing low-flow showerheads in all showers and aerated faucets on your sinks can save your family up to 900 gallons a week. (Hint: If your shower can fill a one-gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, then you probably need to replace it with a more water efficient showerhead.)
• Verify that your home is leak-free! Many homes have hidden water leaks. Read your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, there is a leak.
• Use a hose nozzle and turn off the water while you wash your car and save more than 100 gallons at a time.
• Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap water run every time you want a cool glass of water. This could save hundreds of gallons a month.
• Use of bowl of water to clean fruits & vegetables rather than running water over them. You can reuse this for your house plants.
• Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
• If you water your grass and trees more heavily, but less often, this saves water and builds stronger roots.
• Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust sprinklers so only your lawn is watered and not the house, sidewalk, or street.
• When you shop for a new appliance, consider one offering cycle and load size adjustments for water and energy-efficiency.
• Time your shower to keep it under 5 minutes. You'll save up to 1000 gallons a month.
• Adjust your lawn mower to a higher setting. Longer grass shades root systems and holds soil moisture better than a closely clipped lawn.
• Put food coloring in your toilet tank. If it seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak. It's easy to fix, and you can save more than 600 gallons a month.
• Plug the bathtub before turning the water on, then adjust the temperature as the tub fills up.
• Soak your pots and pans instead of letting the water run while you scrape them clean.
• Make sure you know where your master water shut-off valve is located. This could save gallons of water and damage to your home if a pipe were to burst.

DID YOU KNOW...

• that toilets account for 27 percent of your indoor water use?
• that if all of us installed water efficient appliances the country would save more than 3 trillion gallons of water per year?
• some toilets can be adjusted to use less water per flush?
• daily indoor water use in a typical single family home is 69.3 gallons
• a person needs 4-5 gallons of water per day to survive?
• In a typical home, more than 9,000 gallons of water are wasted while running the faucet waiting for hot water?
• If a drip from your faucet fills an eight ounce glass in 15 minutes, it will waste 180 gallons per month and 2,160 gallons per year?
• A low flush toilet can save you up to 18,000 gallons of water per year?

OTHER WATER FACTS...

• The Earth has somewhere around 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons (326 million trillion gallons) of water on the planet.
• Less than 2% of the Earth's water supply is fresh water.
• Of all the earth's water, 97% is salt water found in oceans and seas.
• Only 1% of the earth's water is available for drinking water. Two percent is frozen.
• The human body is about 75% water.
• Every day in the United States, we drink about 110 million gallons of water.
• If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away.
• The average 5-minute shower takes 15-25 gallons of water--around 40 gallons are used in 10 minutes.
• An automatic dishwasher uses 9 to 12 gallons of water while hand washing dishes can use up to 20 gallons.
• You can refill an 8-oz glass of water approximately 15,000 times for the same cost as a six-pack of soda pop.
• 300 million gallons of water are needed to produce a single day's supply of U.S. newsprint.
• A dairy cow must drink four gallons of water to produce one gallon of milk.
• It takes 3.3 acre feet of water to grow enough food for an average family for a year.
• If every household in America had a faucet that dripped once each second, 928 million gallons of water a day would leak away.
• The average American uses 140-170 gallons of water per day.
• Every day in the United States, we drink about 110 million gallons of water.

FUN PLUMBING FACTS...

• Toilet paper was first invented in China in 1391AD, The Bureau of Imperial Supplies began producing 720,000 sheets of toilet paper a year, each sheet measuring two feet by three feet. For use by the Emperors. In 1857 in the USA a New Yorker, Joseph C. Gayetty, produced the first packaged bathroom tissue named "The Therapeutic Paper" as it contained an abundance of aloe, a curative addition. The company sold it in packs of 500 sheets for fifty cents, and Joseph Gayetty had his name printed on each sheet! In 1890 The Scott Paper Company is the first company to manufacture tissue on a roll, specifically for the use of toilet paper.
• Albert Einstein was named honorary member of the Plumbers Union after saying publicly he'd become a plumber if he had to do it all over again.
• Archeologists recovered a portion of a water plumbing system from the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt evidencing indoor plumbing dating back to 2500 B.C.E.

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