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Just realized my water usage dropped by 60% after 3 months with a rainwater system
I built a 275 gallon IBC tote setup back in April and connected it to my downspout. After tracking my city water bill for June I saw I only used 40% of what I did last summer for non drinking stuff like laundry and garden. The real shocker was when I calculated I saved about $180 over the quarter. Has anyone else had their usage drop more than they expected after switching to rain catchment?
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adams.uma1mo ago
Heard a story from my neighbor Carol about this exact thing. She set up a 500 gallon system last spring and was bragging about her water bill dropping by almost half in the first month. Then she found out her washing machine had a tiny leak that was making her usage look way higher before the fix. Once she fixed the leak (which cost her like $20 for a new hose), her actual rainwater savings were more like 30%. She still saved money overall but not as dramatic as she thought at first. Told me she wished she'd checked for leaks first before celebrating so hard.
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Long term maintenance costs on those totes add up faster than you think.
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hannah3201mo ago
Ha, I gotta push back a little on this. Even with maintenance costs factored in, my setup paid for itself inside a year and the savings just keep going.
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