Be a Leak Seeker and Save!

The average American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets and other household leaks! Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year.

Fix a Leak Week in March (March 17-23) is a perfect time to check your plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems. Common types of leaks found in the home include worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets and other leaking valves. All are easily correctable.

• Detect a toilet leak by placing 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.
• Leaky faucets can be fixed by checking faucet washers and gaskets for wear and replacing them if necessary.
• Most leaky showerheads can be fixed by ensuring a tight connection using pipe tape and a wrench. If you are replacing a showerhead, look for one that has earned the WaterSense label.
• If your toilet is leaking, the cause is often an old, faulty toilet flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays, or minerals build up on it. It’s usually best to replace the whole rubber flapper—a relatively easy, inexpensive do-it-yourself project that pays for itself in no time.