Leaky pipes, toilets, faucets and other fixtures around your home could waste hundreds of gallons per day, which costs you more for water and wastewater fees.
Consider this:
- 10% of homes and 5% of pools have leaks.
- A leaky faucet dripping at one drop per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons per year. That’s the equivalent of more than 20,000 typical water bottles.
- A leaking toilet uses 90,000 gallons in 30 days.
- Just one broken sprinkler head in your irrigation system can waste up to 25,000 gallons over a six-month irrigation season
Some leaks, like a dripping faucet or running toilet, are easy to recognize. Here are some ways to identify harder-to-spot leaks and how to fix them.
- Watch your water meter. Make sure water isn’t running, then check your meter. If the meter’s readout is increasing, you may have a leak.
- Inspect your toilet tank’s water level. The correct water line is about one inch below the top of the overflow pipe. If it’s higher, water is being wasted.
- Replace your toilet’s flapper valve. Check toilets for silent leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank after it has filled. If coloring shows in the bowl without flushing, you probably have a leak around the flapper valve. Watch this video to learn how to fix it.
- Find “phantom leaks” that occur in pipes behind walls, under floors or under foundations by contacting a leak detection company. This could be necessary if you perform Step 1 and can’t find the leak.
- Repair leaks promptly. Can’t make the repairs yourself? Check OUC’s Preferred Contractor Network for a licensed plumber, leak detection company or irrigation specialist.
More About Water Leaks and Increasing Conservation
Taking the steps above can help you avoid wasting a precious natural resource and paying more than you should on your water bill.
Each March, OUC partners with the EPA’s WaterSense program to raise awareness of the trillion of gallons of water loss annually during Fix a Leak Week (March 17 – 23). For more ways to find and fix leaks, visit the EPA’s Fix a Leak Week website.