Pesky Plumbing Leaks

Have little leprechauns sprung small leaks in your home? They may have messed with your sink faucet, bathroom shower head or basement pipes so that they can easily get their hands on small amounts of water whenever they need it…Well, next week is officially the EPA’s annual Fix A Leak Week, so what better time to put a stop to those small water drops than now?!

Did you know:

“The average household’s leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year and ten percent of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. Common types of leaks found in the home are worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, and other leaking valves.”-EPA.gov

To find plumbing leaks, the EPA recommends:

“To check for leaks in your home, you first need to determine whether you’re wasting water and then identify the source of the leak. Here are some tips for finding leaks:

• Take a look at your water usage during a colder month, such as January or February. If a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month, there are serious 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. If any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.)
• Examine faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for any water on the outside of the pipe to check for surface leaks.”
  –EPA

Suspect that you have a leak? Call in one of our leak detection experts! Fixing a plumbing leak can save you a lot of money in the long run. In fact, the EPA reports:

• 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90+ gallons a day
• A leaky faucet dripping at the rate of 1 drop/second can waste 3,000+ gallons per year
• Minor household leaks account for more than 1 trillion gallons of wasted water each year
• A shower leaking at 10 drips per minute wastes 500+ gallons per year
• Replacing old toilets with WaterSense models can save 13,000 gallons of water for the average family (see coupon below!)

Don’t let a wee leak cause a massive waste of water and money. Contact The Plumbing Knight to find + repair it today!

Click here to learn more about household leaks and Fix a Leak Week on EPA.gov!