Abstract
The replacement of ordinary plumbing fixtures by water-saving ones is a common practice in public buildings. This paper presents a comparison between two lavatory taps, an ordinary one and a self-closing one, installed at a university campus. Water consumption, number of uses per day and water consumption per activation were compared using statistical methods (exploratory data analysis and statistical tests). Data were obtained by installing water flow sensors in each tap. The average daily volume consumed and the average volume per activation for the ordinary tap were three times higher than the results found for the self-closing one. By applying the Mann-Whitney test, it was concluded that users did not show any preferences for either tap. During data collection, the ordinary tap presented some evidence of water waste because this plumbing fixture was sometimes left open and due to excessive use of water by users. Hence, the conclusion of this study is that water consumption was lower in the self-closing tap, which also prevented water waste caused by the incorrect use of ordinary taps.
Keywords:
Self-closing tap; Water conservation; Water-saving plumbing fixtures
