It’s time to hunt down those leaks! Household leaks can waste nearly 1 trillion gallons of water annually nationwide. This can run up your water bill and get worse over time, but there is good news. You can find and fix these household leaks with relative ease and low cost.
This is your sign to check in and outside your house for leaks. The average household's leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year and 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Don’t let this include you!
Let’s get started:
How to Check: After 2 hours of no water use, check your water meter. If the meter moves at all then you might have a leak.
Toilets: Worn-out toilet flappers can cause leaks. To make sure you don’t have a leak, try this. Drop a small amount of food coloring in the toilet tank and see if any color appears in the bowl after 10 minutes. If there is color than there is a leak. Luckily, replacing toilet flappers is inexpensive and quick with most hardware stores having the part.
Showerheads: A leaky showerhead can leak 10 drips per minute and waste more than 500 gallons per year. That’s enough water for 60 cycles of the dishwasher! A quick fix for this is to use pipe tape to secure a tight connection with the showerhead and the pipe stem. However, if your shower can fill a 1-gallon bucket in under 20 seconds, it’s time to replace the showerhead with a more water-efficient model.
Faucets: Leaks in faucets can occur when faucet washers and gaskets become old and worn. A leaky faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year with one drop per second. That’s 180 showers! Check for surface water on the pipes to see if you have a leak.
Outside: Don’t forget the outside of your house! Check your garden hoses for leaks at their connection to the spigot. This can be fixed by replacing the hose washer and tightening the hose to the spigot with pipe tape or a wrench. If you have an in-ground irrigation system, check it each spring for weather damage before use.
If you have any questions concerning a leak contact our customer service department at 407-944-5000. There are also many easy to follow online tutorials on how to fix leaks, the website below has complied some for quick viewing. If you are not comfortable with making the repairs yourself, you can always contact a licensed plumber. For more information regarding Fix a Leak Week visit: www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week.
