Leaks can run, but they can’t hide!
Are you ready to save water and money? It’s time to chase down leaks that may be wasting both! The average American home may waste more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks, which can significantly raise a homeowner’s water and wastewater bills. One of the most common types of leaks, a leaking toilet, can waste up to 100 gallons of water a day. This is a type of leak that can usually be easily fixed, and finding the leak is the first step in fixing the problem. In recent years residents in Cascade Water Alliance’s service area have saved thousands of gallons by fixing leaking toilets.
Checking for Leaks: To check for leaks in your home, first determine whether you’re wasting water, then identify the source of the leak.
- Take a look at your water usage when no water is being used outdoors. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month, there may be serious leaks.
- Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used in the home. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
- Identify toilet leaks by placing a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.)
- Examine faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for any water on the outside of the pipe to check for surface leaks.
More information on detecting a leaking toilet and other water efficiency programs can be found at www.cascadewater.org.