What is retrofitting? 

Retrofitting is the installation of simple and usually inexpensive devices that replace or modify existing plumbing fixtures in your home to save water. Some restrict flow, others displace volume. They all help you do your part to protect the limited drinking water supply.

Why retrofit? 

Retrofitting your home -- replacing old plumbing fixtures with water-saving ones -- is a simple way to protect our drinking water supply. Unless your home was built in the last seventeen years, you probably have pre-conservation era plumbing that guzzles water. The National Energy Protection Act (NEPA) of 1994 mandated the use of water-saving plumbing fixtures. 

Retrofit what? 

• Toilets

Typically, toilets use the most water in your home. If you choose not to replace your existing 3 to 5-gallon tank (or more in some older homes), then you can make your own toilet displacement device. Simply fill up a half-gallon milk jug with water and place it in the toilet tank. Make sure nothing impedes the internal mechanisms and test flush to see if there's enough pressure to do the job! While you're checking the toilet...why not check the rubber flapper to see if it's leaking? It may be time for its replacement. Most flappers should be replaced once per year. 

• Showers

The average showerhead can use between five to ten gallons of water. Replacing showerheads with new low-flow models can save up to six and a half gallons per minute -- a 40 to 65 percent water saving. It will also reduce your energy bill because you'll use less hot water. The free showerhead that you can obtain from the Tampa Water Department uses only 2.0 gallons of water. 

• Bathroom and Kitchen Faucets

The average bathroom or kitchen faucet can flow at 3 gallons per minute. By installing faucet aerators in the bathroom and kitchen, you can cut water consumption by 50 percent. The Tampa Water Department can provide you with a bathroom faucet aerator that uses only 1.0 gallons per minute and a kitchen aerator that uses only 1.5 gallons per minute. 

If you have an older showerhead or faucet aerators, we will provide new low-flow ones at no charge. You may install the fixtures yourself or have a licensed plumber install them. You are responsible for the cost of installation. (Qualifying customers will be mailed a plumbing retrofit kit and are required to return a completed Installation Coupon and Acknowledgment verifying the fixtures were installed at the property. Customers may be billed $15 for the kit if they do not return the completed Installation Coupon or complete uninstalled kit within 30-days of receipt.)

Request a free plumbing retrofit kit...