How common are plumbing leaks? Here’s one answer to that question: 10 percent of all water used in California is lost to leaks. In the Bay Area alone, that accounts for as much as 23 billion gallons of water a year.
Is all this water being lost simply because homeowners with water system leaks are content to live with them? This is not the case.
Most homeowners are unaware that there is a leak in the water system, costing them money and wasting water. As the reality sinks in that extended drought is a California reality, there’s more reason than ever for you to make sure your home is not contributing to the billions of gallons of waste. How can you discover if your system has a leak?
Phantom Flush
Have you ever heard your toilet start to refill even though no one has used it? There’s not a ghost in your bathroom, it’s a “phantom flush.”
A slow leak from the tank to the bowl will drain the tank slightly, signaling that it needs to be refilled. The leak is likely caused by a bad toilet flapper or the “seat” that it sits in. This is a repair that you may be able to do yourself. If your toilet won’t drain, the problem might not be a clog. Low water pressure can also cause this problem.
Low Water Pressure
If you were using a hose that was punctured in several areas, you probably wouldn’t wonder why the stream coming out of the end wasn’t as strong as it should be. This same principle applies to the pressure in your home system.
Check for water spots in your basement, and around the fixtures of your home. Have you seen any water appearing at the base of your toilet?
You may have a leak in your main line. If you know where to find your service meter, take a look at it. It has a leak indicator – if that’s moving you need to call our friendly, competent team at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. We’ll get to work to solve the problem.
Do You Have a High Water Bill?
Do you seem to be paying more for water service than ever, even though you haven’t made significant changes in your water use? If you don’t enter your watering and shower schedule into a spreadsheet, it may be a little hard to work out what’s changed. It’s also true that rate structures have changed in recent years, with higher fees charged for customers who use water above a baseline.
Most utilities provide year-to-year and month-to-month comparisons of your consumption, often with your bill. If you have a general sense of how much, or how little, your water-use patterns have changed since your bill went up, this information might help you determined whether you have a leak problem.
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing Can Find and Fix Leaks
You can save water and reduce the cost of water by ensuring your system is leak-free. We’re well qualified to identify any plumbing issue that is causing you to waste water and to correctly fix whatever we find.
