With summer coming up, Australians are being encouraged to do their part in conserving water.
“As one of the driest populated continents on earth, Australia's freshwater resources are under pressure to meet the demands of a changing climate and growing population,” says Corinne Cheeseman, CEO of Australian Water Association.
“It's up to every Australian to do their bit to ensure water is being used sustainably and efficiently in and around the home. Making simple changes and taking easy steps will help reduce water consumption, decrease water bills, and protect our precious water resources,” adds Corinne.
On average, around 40% of household water is used outdoors, so it is important to reuse and recycle this commodity as much as possible. There are two ways to better manage water usage: the first is to use recycled water, which is either taken from rain tanks or has been cleaned with chemicals at a treatment plant and then provided back to homeowners via taps identified by their lilac or light purple colour, in accordance with Australian standards (AS/NZS 3500.5:2000).
The second, is the use of Grey Water, this waste water is taken directly from showers, bathroom sinks or washing machines in the home to use in gardens and lawns,” says Alyce Rigby, Nylex Product Manager.
To help homeowners do their bit at home, Nylex shared some tips for the summer ahead.
Utilise Grey Water
Reducing freshwater usage around the home not only saves vital community water supplies, it can also decrease household water bills. Purpose made hoses can be connected to washing machines and other outlet pipes to redirect Grey Water to your lawn as well as garden beds and veggie patches. Before using Grey Water in your garden, check what type of washing liquid or powder you use, as some chemicals will be harmful to plants.
“To start utilising Grey Water, use a Grey Water hose and fitting to connect to your water source and then divert it to your outdoor area. The Nylex Grey Water Dispersion Hose 22mm x 2.5m is designed to prevent pooling by evenly dispersing Grey Water along its length, which minimises the risk of harmful bacteria forming,” says Alyce.
Water smarter, not harder
Be smart with how you set up and water your garden. Planting water-intensive plants on higher ground and plants that don’t need as much water on lower ground means you can water from the top and simply let it flow down to the less water-intensive plants below.
“To reduce water usage in your lawn, garden bed, ferneries or vegetable patches, use the Nylex Recycled Soaker Hose available in different lengths (7.5/15/30m). It has fine holes on one side, which when faced upwards, create a fine spray pattern in a multi-directional stream in an even ‘strip’ style watering pattern. An average tap of 200kPa sprays about three to four metres across,” adds Alyce.
Use water-efficient sprinklers
It’s important to make sure your sprinklers and irrigation systems are water efficient to ensure you’re not over-watering your garden and wasting water.
“An easy way to be water-efficient is by using the Nylex 3 Arm Sprinkler , which is suitable for small to medium lawns and gardens. Alternatively, the Nylex Recycled Dome Sprinkler is great for smaller areas,” continues Alyce.
Save time
An easy way to save time while conserving water is by using a tap timer. Once set to a specific length of time, it can be left unattended and will automatically turn off, so you can get on with your day without accidentally over-watering your lawn.
“The Nylex Recycled 2 Hour Mechanical Tap Timer works just like an egg timer. Twist the dial to the desired watering duration up to 120 minutes and the timer will turn itself off. The mechanical operation requires no batteries and makes this one of the easiest and quickest timers to use,” says Alyce.
