You know that leaky anything isn’t good. A leaky faucet or a leaky pipe in your house isn’t something you want. But surprisingly, homeowners often leave problems like household leaks without repairs. They tolerate a leaking kitchen sink faucet as long as it isn’t making too much noise. They probably aren’t even aware of pipe leaks because they’re hidden behind walls and in the ceilings, but they may also ignore warning signs of these leaks, such as water stains on drywall.
Leaving leaks to … well, leak is bad news all around for a home. Not only can these leaks create water damage and allow mold to grow, but they are massive wastes of water, a precious natural resource.
“How much water can these small leaks waste?”
This is the reason we wrote this post. People frequently think that “small” leaks like a dripping faucet or a few drips now and then from a pipe don’t add up to significant water waste. But they do!
According to the US EPA’s WaterSense program, 10% of homes in the country have leaks in them that waste up to 90 gallons or more a day. In your house, those various leaks—both the ones you see and the ones you can’t—can waste more than 10,000 gallons a year. Leaks in homes across the US add up to 1 trillion gallons going to waste annually.
If this sounds hard to believe, here are more facts: A faucet that drips one drip per second will waste 3,000 gallons in a year. A showerhead dripping at the rate of 10 drips a minute will waste 500 gallons a year. Hidden pipe leaks can waste even more water, and where there’s a single pipe leak, there are often more.
Solving the leaky household
Many of these leaks are easy to fix. The basic leaky sink faucet can often be repaired by just tightening with a wrench. Repairing only these simple leaks can save your home around 10% on annual water bills.
When you have the basic leaks taken care of, it’s time to find out if you have other leaks that are out of sight. Check your monthly water bill to see how much water your household consumes. If you have a family of four, your water usage shouldn’t be higher than 12,000 gallons a month. Higher than that, and you should call a plumber in Essex, VT to do leak detection.
Another test is to record the number on your water meter, and then stop using water in your house for an hour. Check if the water meter reading has increased. If it has … you’ve got leaks somewhere.
Our professional plumbers have the best training and leak detection tools to locate those secret pipe leaks. Once we’ve found the problem spots, we’ll fix them fast and give you a water-saving home. We can also recommend new low-flow fixture for your kitchen and bathroom to further turn your household into a front-line fighter in the battle to conserve water.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC serves Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York. Call us for a free estimate for your plumbing needs.
