DIY – Water Aerator Cleaning for Better Flow and Less Water Waste
Filed Under: Do It Yourself on August 27, 2009
Whether you own your home, rent, lease, or are just living there, you have at least one sink with a faucet. Probably more than one. If the water where you live is relatively hard, you probably battle hard water buildup on your sink, in your tub, etc. Did you know that same buildup can slow down the water flow and even cause you to use more water?
Yep. I found this out.
Most likely, you either do most of the maintenance in your home yourself or you hire a handyman to do it. A lot of stuff, like what I’m about to show you, is so easy that paying someone to do it is just ridiculous.
Hard water buildup also affects the aerator on your faucet spouts. The aerator is the little screen that looks like the screens on your windows for keeping the bugs out. All it does is “break up” the water as it flows through, making it come out more uniformly by aerating it (breaking it up to add air).
This does several things: makes the water coming out less prone to splashing, creates a more even flow, and ads air to the water to improve its taste and texture while drinking. The problem is that the tiny little screen can get clogged. Especially if it has a “low flow” plug included in it.
Taking the aerator off is easy and you likely will be able to do it without any tools. Just grip the aerator cap and turn. Remember: righty tighty, lefty loosey.
Unscrew the aerator cap and remove it. Inside you will find an o-ring (to seal the cap to the spigot), a plastic insert with the screen and (if equipped) the low-flow plastic plug system. All of these come out into separate pieces, so do that now.
I tossed the low-flow system long ago in our sinks, as they are a lot more trouble than they’re worth. They plug up easily and don’t really “lower” the water amount coming out by enough to justify their existence. In some states, they’re mandatory for new construction, however.
What you’re likely to see, though, is a buildup of little white rocks in your screen. As shown here, where it’s gotten fairly bad, you can see that they are literally filling the screen capsule. This restricts water, causes uneven flow, and makes you use more water as you turn up the volume (ad more flow) to get the pressure you need to go through these rocks evenly. All around, that’s bad.
Cleaning these out a couple of times a year or so (more often if your water is particularly hard) is a great way to save water usage and make for happier sinks.
Those little rocks, by the way, are most likely almost all calcium. The whiter they are, the more likely that is. I usually throw them into the garden to ad that tiny bit of calcium back to the soil. Not that it’s a lot, but it’s better than just throwing it away, I guess.
Related posts:
- DIY – Drain and Flush Your Water Heater for Better Economy
- Recycling Water Filtration Cartidges (Brita, Pur, Etc)
- How to Use Less Water and Be Eco-Friendly Washing the Car
Comments (1)
Good information, Aaron. I am surprised at how many people are not aware of this kind of thing and hire people to do the dumbest repairs in their homes.