An Energy Saving Way of Cooking Rice

There are many other simple ways of saving water and energy around the home apart from plumbing.

If you use excess amounts of water when cooking vegetables you not only waste water but also gas or electricity. Also, overcooking vegetables robs them of both flavour and vital nutrients.

Here's a method for cooking rice which uses the minimum possible amount of water and energy and also produces excellent tasting rice.

• Measure out the correct amount of rice and put it in a suitable sized saucepan . I always use basmati rice, coz I like the aromatic taste, and find that 1 mug full of rice is enough for 2 people.
• Add 1 and a half times the volume of cold water to the rice . This means that if you are cooking a cup full of rice then you need to use a cup and a half of cold water.
• Add a pinch of salt (to taste).
• Bring the water to the boil
• Once it is boiling vigorously cover the pan and turn off the heat .
• Leave the pan covered for 15 minutes.
• Remove lid and serve the rice.

That's it ! Perfectly cooked rice with minimum water, energy and fuss !

( If you are using some other types of rice you may find that the rice is not fully cooked , in which case in stead of turning off the heat straight away you may need to let it simmer for a minute before leaving it to stand 15 minutes.)

How To Diagnose a Leaky Toilet

In my previous posts on how to repair a leaky toilet I'd already worked out where the leak was and went straight ahead and replaced the flush mechanism with a water saving dual flush mechanism, although I did mention how you could fix the leak.

I thought I'd better put that right by explaining how to find and fix the most common leaks.

When a toilet starts to leak it generally leaks into the pan and down the drain.

There are 2 types of leak:

1. The toilet is overfilling , causing the water to run out through the overflow tube.(Which on most toilets runs into the toilet bowl ,on older toilets the tube may go straight outside).
2. The flush mechanism isn't water tight causing a leak, also into the bowl.
   So the first thing to do is decide which type of leak we have.

The easiest way to do this is to simply turn off the water supply.

If the toilet is overfilling and water running thru the overflow pipe then once the water level in the cistern has dropped to below the level of the overflow pipe it will stop overflowing. The toilet then stops leaking and the water in the cistern stays at this level. This is leak type 1 and is sometimes described as a running toilet. This indicates a problem with the fill valve or the float.
If , on the other hand the toilet keeps leaking until the cistern is empty then the problem is with the flush mechanism.

Now we know where the problem is – we just need to find it.

Solving Type 1 LeaksIf the toilet is overflowing it could simply be because the fill level is set too high.

In which case we simply need to lower the water level to below the height of the overflow tube. This can be done in one of 2 ways depending on the mechanism fitted. If we have an older ball and rod style float then the level can be lowered by simply bending the rod down slightly.

If we have a more modern style float , as shown in the photo, then the level is lowered using the adjustment screw.


In either case if adjusting the float height doesn't solve the leak then the inlet valve is probably faulty and needs to be repaired or replaced.

Solving Type 2 LeaksIf the flush mechanism is leaking then there are three possibilities:

• The flush valve is obstructed or not shutting fully. (This is especially probable if its a very old toilet where the valve is a simple flap) In this case once the obstruction is removed and the valve can close properly then the toilet will stop leaking.
• The flush valve closes properly but leaks. In this case check the state of the gasket , if its perished or otherwise damaged (as shown in the photo) then it needs to be replaced. Once the gasket is replaced it will stop leaking.
• If the flush valve seals correctly but the mechanism leaks then check the “O”-rings or gaskets which seal where the mechanism attaches to the cistern. If these are perished or damaged they may cause a leak and need to be replaced.

If the toilet is running or leaking into the bowl then one of the above methods should fix it.

If the leak is outwards (onto the bathroom floor) then it could be due to A cracked cistern , The seal between the cistern and the pan, the seal between the flush mechanism and the cistern, or the seal between the toilet and the drain. If its a faulty seal then it will normally leak when the toilet is flushed . If its a cracked cistern then it will generally be a continuous leak. More information about diagnosing external leaks can be found here.

How To Fix a Dripping Tap.

A dripping tap in the kitchen can be really annoying. The stainless steel sink amplifies the sound so you can hear it in the next room. Drumming away like some kind of ancient water torture ! But apart from that a dripping tap can waste 90 litres of water per week !

How to Fix a Dripping Tap

You will need:
Small flat bladed screwdriver
Medium flat bladed screwdriver
Medium Cross-head screwdriver
Adjustable spanner (or 21mm spanner)
A new tap washer of the correct size.

Tap repair Step 1: Turn off the water at the stopcock then open the tap to let the remaining water drain out. (there will still be some left in the tap -this can't really be avoided)














Tap repair step 2: Use the small screwdriver to pry the small cover off the tap revealing the screw hidden beneath.(See photo) and remove the screw. Once the screw has been undone the knob should lift easily off the tap.














Tap Repair Step 3: Once the knob has been removed you can see the metal tap assembly ( see photo). You will see that the outer housing has a hexagonal shaped section just alongside where it screws into the body of the tap. This hexagonal section allows us to remove the tap mechanism by unscrewing it with the adjustable spanner.














Tap repair Step 4: Now you have removed the tap assembly you will see the rubber washer with its retaining screw. Undo the screw and prise away the old washer and clean up any dirt or residue. Fit the new washer in its place. Don't be surprised if the new washer is a very snug fit on the central spigot – this is normal. Re-tighten the retaining screw (just nip it up, don't over-tighten it)





























Tap Repair step 5: Before you reassemble the tap make sure everything is clean and free of debris and that the outer seal of the tap is in place (if fitted). Screw the tap assembly into the main body and nip it up ( once again there's no need to over-tighten it)
















Tap Repair step 6: Refit the knob, tighten its screw and re-fit the cover. Open the stopcock and check everything works OK and that there are no leaks. Job done !

One thing that's worth mentioning is that when a tap starts to drip you can normally stop it dripping by over-tightening the tap when you turn it off. This works for a while , but if you keep doing it you will eventually damage the seat which the washer sits against. This is trickier to repair so its best to repair the tap now . After all a new washer costs next to nothing and as we have seen it only takes about 10 minutes to do.

So how much do we save ?
Well as we've already said a dripping tap can waste 90L per week which equates to 4680L per year ! That's € 4.61 per year all for the price of a little rubber washer ! (15cents)