The average American family can waste more than 10,000 gallons of water every year from easy-to-fix household leaks. That’s the amount of water it takes to wash 270 loads of laundry!
During Fix a Leak Week—March 18-24—the US Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging everyone to be a leak detective by looking for clues to find and fix leaks at home. Start searching in the following places:
- Your utility bill: If you are a family of four using more than 12,000 gallons of water in January or February, you probably have a leak.
- Faucets and showerheads: Check for drips and tighten their connections. A showerhead leaking at 10 drips per minute can waste more than 500 gallons per year--enough to wash 60 loads of dishes in the dishwasher!
- Hoses and sprinkler heads: Tighten those spigot connections and check your sprinkler system for leaks that could hurt your lawn and your water bill.
- Toilets: To find a silent leak, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 10 minutes before you flush. If color appears in the bowl, you have a leak!
Source:
- US Environmental Protection Agency. 2017. "Fix a Leak Week." www.epa.gov/watersense/our_water/fix_a_leak.html
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