Handy Tips to Fix Plumbing Leaks and Reduce Water Waste

Do you have an annoying plumbing leak in your home? That constant drip, drip, drip is not just annoying; it’s also a big water waster. Wasted water means wasted money. As we have covered in this weeks series of posts wasted water hurts the environemnt, your wallet, and the economy. According to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plumbing leaks in American homes waste more than one trillion gallons of water every year! That is a staggering number that could provide enough water for a small country to live off  of.  You can reduce water waste by learning these handy tips to fix plumbing leaks.

Detect a Plumbing Leak

The first sign you have a leak is obvious – remember that drip, drip, drip we talked about earlier. However, some leaks occur in hidden places under the sink and behind the wall. Conduct a simple test to find out if you have hidden leaks in your home:

• Turn off all the taps and water-using devices in your home.
• Take a trip outside to the water meter and write down the numbers you see.
• Don’t use any water for the next two hours. Place signs on the kitchen and bathroom sinks to help your family remember.
• Re-read the numbers on the meter and compare them with the numbers you wrote down two hours ago. If the reading is different, you have a plumbing leak somewhere.

Fix Plumbing Leaks

Once you have identified the problem, you may be able to fix it:

• To fix a leaky faucet, simply replace the worn-out washers and gaskets.
• To repair a leaking showerhead, ensure there’s a tight connection between the showerhead and the wall. Unscrew the showerhead, wrap pipe tape around the threads two or three times and tighten it into place with a wrench.
• To stop a running toilet from wasting water, purchasing a replacement flapper is a likely fix. Turn the crank on the wall behind the toilet to shut off the water supply. Flush the toilet to empty the tank. Remove the toilet tank lid and disconnect the old flapper from the chain. Connect the new flapper and turn the water back on. When the tank is full, flush the toilet again to test the new flapper.

If you can’t fix plumbing leaks by yourself, please contact us today.