How Much Water Can a Leak Waste?
Small leaks add up quickly, and every gallon lost shows up on your bill. The table below estimates how much water escapes through leaks of different sizes.
| Size of leak | Gallons lost per month | Gallons lost per day |
|---|---|---|
| Steady drip | 450 | 15 |
| 1/32 inch | 7,920 | 264 |
| 1/16 inch | 28,300 | 943 |
| 1/8 inch | 114,200 | 3,806 |
| 1/4 inch | 456,800 | 15,226 |
| 1/2 inch | 1,827,000 | 60,900 |
How to Find a Leak
- Review your bill. Compare this month's water use with the same months in past years. Usage that is unusually high can point to a leak.
- Read your meter twice. Write down the meter reading, avoid using any water for a few hours, then read it again. Put the meter lid back firmly afterward so no one trips over it.
- Watch the leak indicator. Turn off every faucet and water-using appliance, then watch the small triangle-shaped dial on the meter for several minutes. If it moves, water is flowing somewhere. A slow turn means a small leak, while a fast spin means a bigger one.
- Test your toilets. A toilet that keeps running after a flush can waste as much as 200 gallons each day. Some toilet leaks are easy to hear or see, but others are silent. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank; if color shows up in the bowl within half an hour, the toilet is leaking. Free leak detection dye tablets are available while supplies last at the Utility Customer Service counter at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive. Just ask a customer service representative.
- Inspect faucets, showerheads and outdoor hose bibs. A drip from any of these can waste 20 gallons a day or more. Often a faucet can be fixed simply by swapping out worn washers and gaskets. A leaky showerhead may just need to be replaced.
- Look at the laundry hookups. A leaking supply valve can drip into the laundry drain without anyone noticing.
- Examine your sprinkler system. Look for damage after mowing, and always before you restart the system for the spring and summer watering season.
- Walk your yard. Soggy patches or plants that grow unevenly can signal a leak in an underground line.
- Check the foundation. Water pooling around your home's foundation may mean a buried pipe is damaged.
- Look for algae. Algae growing on the ground or walls near an outdoor faucet can be a sign of a hidden leak.
- Track your pool level. Mark the normal water line with a grease pencil. A drop of 6 inches or more in a month usually means a leak. Inspect the pumps and the ground around the pump for escaping water as well.
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.