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Fixing Leaks
Fixing leaks will save water and money. These types of leaks are often easily correctable, in many cases requiring only a few tools and hardware that can pay for themselves in water savings.
- A leaky toilet,
faucet or showerhead not only wastes hundreds of gallons
of water per week, but also costs you money. Just a slow
drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons of water per day. A 1/16
inch faucet leak wastes 100 gallons of water in 24 hours.
- To find out if a toilet
is leaking, put a dozen drops of red or blue coloring
or a dye tablet in the toilet tank. If color appears in
the bowl after 15 minutes, there is a leak.
- A leaking faucet is obvious,
but many leaks are hidden. To check for hidden leaks,
take a reading of your meter and mark the sweep hand (like
the second hand on your watch) with a marker. Wait an
hour, making sure no one uses any water in your home (turn
off any ice makers). Check the meter again. If the reading
has changed, or the sweep hand moved you may have a leak.
- To repair leaky fixtures
in your home, you may wish to call a plumber for help.
If you rent, report the leak to your landlord.
- Low-cost investments will
pay for themselves many times over
- A low-flow faucet aerator,
which costs less than $5.00 can save as much as two gallons
of water per minute.
- A low-flow showerhead, which
costs $10 - $20 can save 2-4 gallons per minute.
- A toilet dam installed in
your toilet tank can save 1-3 quarts per flush.
- If you're building or remodeling,
remember that the law requires the installation of ultra
low-flow toilets which use only 1.6 gallons per flush,
a savings of more than 3 gallons from the old ones.
Note:
You can find any of the above items at your local hardware
store.
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