Related Information
Faucet Tips
Installing low-flow faucet aerators can reduce the amount of water coming out of your faucet by 50 percent, saving about 2,000 gallons of water a year for two faucets. You will still get a great stream of water and installation is easy.
Choose aerators with a 1.5 gallon per minute (GPM) flow rate for bathrooms and 2.2 GPM for kitchen or laundry sinks.
Your faucets should not have a flow rate of more than 2.5 gallons per minute. The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) provides a free indoor water audit and retrofit kit to SNWA member agency customers.
The Indoor Retrofit Program helps increase the efficiency of fixtures often found in homes built before 1989.
Call the Conservation Helpline at 258-SAVE, or fill out an interest form to find out if you qualify.
Aerator Installation
Follow these steps to install an aerator. If you don't feel comfortable performing any of these steps, contact a licensed plumber.
- When buying a faucet aerator, be sure to purchase an aerator with the same diameter and thread type as your current faucet.
- Place masking or duct tape around the wrench so you don't mar the finish of your faucet.
- Remove the old faucet aerator attachment by turning it counter-clockwise.
- Before installing a new aerator, turn on the water to flush out the faucet.
- Turn off the water, screw on the new aerator and hand tighten. Take care to avoid crossthreading.
If your faucet is threaded on the inside, stack the upper washer (A) on top of the lower washer (B) and place on top of aerator before screwing it in place.
- If your faucet is threaded on the outside, remove the top washer (A) from the aerator to expose the inside threads and then, with the lower washer (B) in place, screw the aerator (C) on the outside threads.
- Turn on the water. If your aerator leaks, carefully tighten in small increments until leaking stops. Do not over tighten.