Easy Steps to Find and Fix Common Household Leaks
- Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak.
- Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. You have a leak if any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes. Be sure to flush immediately after the test to avoid staining the tank.
- Examine faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for any water on their surface.
- Old or worn out toilet flappers are often the cause of toilet leaks. Fixing them can be an easy and inexpensive repair.
- Some leaky shower heads can be fixed by ensuring there is a tight connection between the showered and the pipe stem, and by using pipe tape to secure it.
- Check your in-ground irrigation system each spring before use to make sure it wasn’t damaged by frost or freezing. A leak that is 1/32nd of an inch can still waste up to 6,300 gallons of water per month.
- If you can’t repair leaking fixtures, it might be time to replace them. Look for the WaterSense label when considering a new toilet, faucet, or shower head.
For more information on finding and fixing leaks, visit the Fix a Leak Week website.
Fix a Leak Week
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