Saving Water Inside Your Home
Every resident of St. Petersburg can play a role in helping to conserve our precious drinking water resources. Conservation of water in the home not only saves water, it also saves the energy used to process and distribute the water. In addition, inside the home less water will need to be heated. The savings may be seen in your water bill, including wastewater charges, and also in your energy bill. Below are some suggestions to save water indoors.No or Low Cost Water Saving Practices
- Never use the toilet as a waste basket. Some older model toilets use 7 gallons of water each time they are flushed!
- Check toilets for leaks at least twice a year using a simple dye test. 
A leaky toilet, usually caused by a warped or poor fitting flapper, can waste up to 200 gallons of water each day. Check for leaks by placing ten drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. After a few minutes, if you see color in the toilet bowl, you have a leak. For step-by-step information on toilet flapper replacement, and to see which replacement flapper to purchase for your specific toilet, go to
- Turn the water off when shaving or brushing your teeth! This practice can save up to 10 gallons each time you shave or brush.
- Replace high flow faucet aerators in sinks with low flow aerators! For bathroom faucets, choose an aerator with 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm) flow. For a kitchen faucet, an aerator using 1.5 to 2.5 gpm will work fine. This practice could reduce water use by 25 percent.
- Use low-flow showerheads. While older heads use 5 to 10 gpm, new models use up to 2.5 gpm while providing adequate water coverage and force. This practice could reduce water use by 35 percent.
- When doing laundry, use the correct water level or load size adjustment for the size load you're washing.
- Fix those leaky faucets! Even a small leak the size of a pin head could waste up to 7 gallons each day.
- Do not use water to defrost frozen foods. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight instead.
- Operate the dishwasher only when it is completely full.
Indoor Water Saving Kits for St. Petersburg Water Customers
Indoor retrofit items are available on a first come, first served basis to assist St. Petersburg's water customers in retrofitting their homes to conserve water. The indoor kit may include a low-flow showerhead, kitchen and bathroom faucet aerators, and toilet leak detection tablets.
To obtain a retrofit kit, water customers should visit the Water Resources Department at 1650 Third Avenue North between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Other Indoor Water Saving Practices See WaterSense Toilets for the latest listing of EPA WaterSense certified HETs.
Install high efficiency appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, to save water and energy. Most ENERGY STAR qualified appliances are also water conserving. For example, high efficiency clothes washers use 18-25 gallons of water per load, compared to 40 gallons used by a standard machine. See Energy Star appliances for specific models, research news, and more information.
For information on current water conservation programs or obtain literature on ways to save water in your home, call 892-5020 and leave your name and address.
For more information on saving water in your home visit http://www.tampabaywater.org/ and click on Conservation.