by Keith Bancroft
Next week, March 15 – 21, 2010, marks the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program’s second annual “Fix a Leak Week,” a time to remind everyone to check household fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks.
Leaks can account for, on average, 10,000 gallons of water wasted in each home every year, which is enough to fill a backyard swimming pool.
Toilets are a common culprit. MMWD’s water use survey program has found that 35 percent of homes visited had a leaking toilet. More than 80 percent of these were leaking flapper valves.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- If your toilet is running constantly, you could be wasting 200 gallons of water or more every day.
- If your toilet is leaking, the cause is most often an old, faulty toilet flapper. Over time, this inexpensive rubber part decays, or minerals build up on it. It’s usually best to replace the whole rubber flapper—a relatively easy, inexpensive do-it-yourself project that pays for itself in no time.
For more useful tips please visit the WaterSense web site. Launched in 2006, WaterSense is an EPA-sponsored partnership program that seeks to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs and practices.
