Water Saving Week- Fixing Leaks

I Just Gotta Tell Ya

• 1 slow drip-leak can waste more than 100 gallons of water per week
• More than 1 Trillion Gallons of water are wasted in US Homes from easy to fix leaks
• A running toilet can waste 2 gallons of water per minute.
• A silent leak in a toilet can waste up to 7,000 gallons per month.
• Bathroom showers, toilets, and sinks account for approximately 75% of the water used in each American Home
• If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month of water, you probably have a leak
• 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day.
• My plumber charges $75.00 an hour

How to Find Leaks

1. Turn off all the H2O inside and outside your house, showers, sinks, washing machines, appliances and irrigation.
2. Find your water meter. Your meter will have a triangular red or silver and black round disc that is commonly called a “leak indicator. If the meter’s hand is moving, you’ve got a leak. If it’s not moving, note the position of the meter and recheck it in 10 minutes. If it moved, you’ve got a slow leak

Toilets

1. Dye test: Flush the toilet, then add a teaspoon of food coloring to the tank when it is filling up. (Don’t flush). After an hour, check the bowl. If you can see any dye, your toilet’s leaking
2. If the water in the bowl changes colors, the flapper valve needs to be replaced.

Resources

• Green Plumbers USA (www.greenplumbersusa.com) has listing of green plumbers to help you save money and water and a rebate listing in your state.
• How Much Does A Water Leak Cost
• American WaterWorks Association- WaterWise Drip Calculator
• How To Check For a Water Leak
• Jack Stephan is a plumber in Los Angeles who has an article on how to detect and stop both gas and water leaks: You can find the article here at: www.jackstephan.com/services/plumbing/water-and-gas-leaks