Inspect & Repair Leaks

Leave the Leaks to Politics, Not Your Plumbing!

You usually know if a faucet has a major leak, but slow leaks in the bathroom or toilet often go unnoticed. Leaks can account for 13% of a home’s water use, which can also drain hundreds of dollars per year from your pocket, not including the repair costs when you finally discover the water damage.

According to the EPA, 10% of homes in the US have leaks of more than 90+ gallons of water per day (and that’s per home!). Talk about flushing money down the toilet!

Inspecting and repairing your fixtures twice a year can pay large dividends all year-round – about 10% of your water bill. So grab that wrench and let’s get fixing!

Image credit: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

Not sure if you have a leaky faucet? A good method to check for leaks is to examine your winter water usage. It’s likely that a family of four has a serious leak problem if winter water use exceeds 12,000 gallons per month. Another method is to check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.

For toilets, place a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, you have a leak. Make sure to flush immediately after this experiment to avoid staining the tank.

Fix Leaks Yourself:

The EPA celebrates Fix-a-Leak Week each year in March. To celebrate, they made this handy guide on fixing leaks at home.

Watch the How-To videos for tips on how to fix common leaks:

Kitchen Sink: