Fix a Leak Week 2015 kicks off on March 16th, making now as good a time as any to find and fix any leaks you have around your home.
We all know that saving water is good for the environment, but fixing leaks around your home makes good financial sense too.
According to WaterSense, fixing the leaks in your home could save you up to 10,000 galloons of water this year alone- that’s enough water to fill a 16 x 32 swimming pool to four feet deep!
Many simple leaks are easy to fix and could add up to 90 gallons of water each day and a decrease of 10% on your monthly water bill.
At Lindstrom, we are happy to answer any questions that you have about saving water around your South Florida home. Give us a call! As always, we recommend contacting a professional plumber if you feel the least bit uncomfortable fixing any of these leaks on your own.
Leak Culprit Number 1: Your Toilet.
The bad news- You’ve noticed water is forming a puddle of water around your toilet, and no one wants to see water that should not be anywhere near the toilet.
The good news- fixing a toilet leak is often as simple as replacing an old toilet flapper (also known as a valve seal.) Head down to your local hardware store to purchase a new rubber flapper, find a good tutorial online and you’re good to go.
If fixing the toilet flapper does not solve your problem and you find you need to replace your toilet- we recommend that you set yourself up for savings by purchasing a high-efficient WaterSense model.
Extra Bonus: Residents of Southern Florida are in luck and may qualify for a rebate of up to $100 for each high-efficient WaterSense model they install.
Give us a call at Lindstrom and we will help you through the rebate process when we install your new toilet.
Leak Culprit Number 2: Your Faucet.
The bad news- The ‘drip, drip, drip…’ of your leaky faucet will cost you more than your sanity. At the rate of one drip per second, your problem plumbing fixture can waste over 3,000 gallons a year.
Yes. We said 3,000 gallons, that’s the equivalent of 180 showers, in case you were wondering.
The good news- Your leaky faucet is probably a simple fix as well. Most often a worn out washer or gasket is to blame for your leak. A quick trip to your local hardware store to purchase a new one (be sure to take the old one with you,) and an online tutorial should do the trick.
If replacing the washer in your faucet doesn’t fix your leak, you likely need a new fixture.
Leak Culprit Number 3: Your Shower.
The bad news- You guessed it, a leaky showerhead is going to cost you. How much water is your leaking shower going to waste, you ask? You could do approximately 60 loads of dishes in your dishwasher with the 500 gallons of water your shower is wasting in one year.
The good news- Pipe tape and a good tightening should be all you need to fix a leaking showerhead. If fixing the connection does not fix your shower leak, the problem may be inside of your showerhead.
If possible, before purchasing a new showerhead we recommend that you swap your leaky showerhead out with one that is working and to see if that fixes the leak.
If the replacing your showerhead doesn’t fix your leak, its time to give a plumber a call.