· Use the water level setting if your washer has one. Some loads take less water than others.
Finding Leaks
You know you have a leak when your faucet drips, but do you know how to find a hidden leak? Finding and fixing leaks can save homeowners more than 10 percent on water bills and as much as 11,000 gallons of wasted water per year. If you suspect you have a hidden water leaks, follow these tips to find it. First, make sure no water is being used inside or outside of your home.
Locate your water meter
About 90 percent of all area residential water meters are located in the front sidewalk. The first step is to check your water meter for movement. Look at the top of the meter. You'll notice a triangle called a flow indicator. It'll move whenever water is passing through it. If your meter doesn't have a flow indicator, you can use the sweep hand on the register to indicate water loss. If either the flow indicator or the sweep hand is moving, you may have a leak or malfunction.
Check your toilets
Locating a leak is a process of elimination. Shut off one toilet at a time at the wall. In between each shutoff, go out to the water meter and check your flow indicator. If the small, red flow-indicator triangle is moving, that toilet is not the problem. Something else is causing a leak. If the small triangle stopped moving, that means it is the culprit.
Check your sprinkler system
Shut off the anti-siphon valve that serves your sprinkler system. Check the red flow-indicator triangle at the water meter. If the flow indicator stopped moving, the sprinkler system is the problem.
Check your water softener
Most softeners have a bypass lever. Turn the lever to allow water to bypass the softener. Check the red flow-indicator triangle at the meter. If the triangle is no longer moving, you have isolated the leak to your softener. (You also can check for leaking swamp coolers, water-cooled air conditioners, ice machines and reverse osmosis units by turning the bypass lever on each and checking the meter.)
Check your pool
First turn off the automatic fill valve and place a bucket on a step where the bucket rim is at least a few inches above the water line. Then place a heavy weight in the bucket and add water until the water level inside the bucket is equal with the water level in the pool. Leave the bucket and pool undisturbed for several hot days, and then compare the water level in the bucket to the water level in the pool. If the water level in the bucket is noticeably higher than the water level in the pool, you may be losing water to a leak. If this is the case, contact a pool leak detection specialist for further assistance.
Check your main service line
First, you need to find your water shutoff valve. This is usually in your front yard near the sewer riser cap, in your garage or near your water softener unit. Shut off the valve, cutting off all water to your home, and go in the house and turn on a faucet to make sure the water is off. Check the red flow-indicator triangle at the meter. If the red triangle is moving, the leak is between the shutoff valve and the water meter.
Now what?
First, close the water meter cap to prevent damage to the lens and replace the meter box lid. If you are not able to find the leak, call a professional plumber to locate and fix the leak(s). If you find a simple leak like your toilet flapper or kitchen faucet, you may want to fix the problem yourself.
Faucet Leaks
A leaky faucet can waste several gallons of water per day. In addition, a dripping faucet may deteriorate a sink bowl and provide moisture for ants, flies and other insects.
With so many types of faucets on the market, the best source of repair information for a specific product may be the manufacturer's website. However, most faucets have a similar assembly with the same basic parts. Most of bathrooms are equipped with mixing faucets or stem faucets, which control the temperature settings through the use of the "hot" and "cold" handles. Both faucets have two individual units which may need to be repaired.
A repair kit can be purchased at your local hardware store. The kit should include a special adjusting ring wrench, seals, springs and O-rings. Also, washer assortment kits may be more cost-effective than buying washers individually.
Check your toilet for leaks
Does your toilet sound like it's running all day? You may have a leak. More than 20 percent of gravity-flush toilets leak.
Follow these tips to find and stop toilet leaks. If you are not sure about your ability to perform any of these steps, please contact a licensed plumber.
Note: These tips pertain to traditional gravity-flush toilets and not high-efficiency toilet models.
Where to begin
A continuous trickling sound usually means water is running over the top of the overflow tube inside the tank. The periodic sound of water being added to the tank usually means a leaky flapper at the bottom of the tank.
Continuous Trickling Remove the toilet tank lid and conduct a visual inspection. Flush the toilet and observe the process. Look for obvious problems.
- Check to see if the refill water level is set properly and does not rise over the top of the overflow tube.
- To lower the water level, adjust the float lower.
- On a bulb-on-arm style toilet, adjust the screw near where the float arm attaches to the float valve.
- On newer valve and float units, adjust the float by moving the float downward on the vertical rod.
- If the toilet continues to run, even with the float adjusted, you should replace the refill valve with a new unit from your local hardware store.
Periodic Refills Without Flushing
"Ghost" or "phantom" flushing is usually the result of a worn rubber flapper that is allowing water to seep from the tank into the bowl and down the sewer. An improperly adjusted flapper chain also could cause the problem.
Conduct a simple dye test to see if water is seeping from the tank. Request an Indoor Water Audit and Retrofit Kit, which includes leak detection dye tablets. Or, use food coloring or a powdered drink mix to noticeably color the water in the toilet tank.
- Place the dye tablets or coloring agent in the toilet tank.
- The tank water will change color, while the toilet bowl water should be clear.
- Wait 10 minutes.
- Check to see if any coloration appears in the bowl. If so, then you have a leaking flapper valve.
Note: If you normally use products that color the water in the tank or bowl such as a sanitizer, remove them and flush the toilet until the water in the bowl and tank are clear before you begin the dye test.
Replacing Worn Parts
Turn off the water supply valve to the tank. This is usually located on the wall under the toilet. Flush the toilet to drain the water.
Select appropriate replacement parts from the hardware store and follow the manufacturer's directions to install them.
After installing the parts, turn the water on and test-flush the toilet once or twice. If you replaced the flapper, perform the dye test again to ensure the flapper fits properly. Not all flappers fit properly in all toilets so you may still have a leak.
In some cases, a leaking flapper may be the result of a worn surface on the seat against which the flappers rests. You can try smoothing the seat with steel wool or a scouring pad. If this doesn't correct the problem, you may need to replace the flapper seat and overflow tube assembly.
Pool and Spa Tips
A properly managed pool or spa can be an appropriate use of water. Use these tips to help save water and money.
Cover your pool
An exposed pool loses 50 to 70 gallons of water per square foot per year to evaporation. During the hot summer months, you may lose up to 4 inches of water each week.
Pool covers reduce evaporation by 90 percent, limit windblown debris, and conserve energy.
Protect the pool from wind
Wind exposure can increase evaporation in uncovered pools. Plant trees and shrubs that buffer your pool, but won't shed or drop leaves in the water.
Maintain pool filters
Wash cartridge filters when your pump operating pressure increases by 10 psi (pounds per square inch). You can wash cartridges on landscape areas since chlorinated pool water is diluted with clean water. Never allow wash water to run into the street.
Manage water quality
Test pool and spa water frequently and maintain appropriate chemical balances.
Heat pool conservatively
Warmer water means higher evaporation rates. Professionals recommend 78 degrees Fahrenheit as the ideal recreational pool temperature.
Test for leaks
This four-step bucket test may help you determine if you have a leak or a high evaporation rate.
- Turn off the automatic fill valve.
- Place a bucket on a step where the bucket rim is at least a few inches above the water line. Place a heavy weight in the bucket and add water until the water level inside the bucket is equal with the water level in the pool.
- Leave the bucket and pool undistributed for several hot days, and then compare the water level in the bucket to the water level in the pool.
- If the water level in the bucket is noticeably higher than the water level in the pool, you may be losing water to a leak. Contact a pool leak detection specialist.
High Efficiency Toilets
The newest generation of high-efficiency toilets (HETs) are 20 percent more efficient than current federal standards. HETs not only take water efficiency to higher levels, they are frequently capable of flushing more waste. HETs are currently offered by all major fixture manufacturers.
The revolutionary improvements in toilet performance technology and testing can virtually guarantee user satisfaction. The most revered measure of toilet performance is the Maximum Performance (MaP) ratings which realistically evaluate the maximum amount of solid waste specific toilet models can consistently flush. At minimum, a toilet should be able to reliably flush at least 250 grams of solid waste and 24 sheets of toilet paper. The MaP test rates toilets’ flushing abilities up to 1,000 grams.
Surprisingly, there is very little correlation between the amount of water flushed and the effectiveness of a toilet. In testing, some 3.5 gallon per flush toilets cannot consistently flush 250 grams of waste, while some 1.1 gallon toilets reliably flush a full 1,000 grams.
Historically, toilets have relied upon a rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank as a means to dam water into the tank, and then release it quickly into the bowl when the toilet was flushed. These flappers typically wear out within a few years, but many homeowners neglect to replace them. Studies have found that about 20 percent of all toilets have a flapper that fails to seal the tank outlet, allowing thousands of gallons to be invisibly lost down the sewer. When selecting a new toilet, consider the value of flapper less designs which may improve water savings for the long term.
HET’s can be dual-flush, pressure-assisted, or gravity flush. Each technology has pros and cons.
Dual-flush HETs
Commonplace in other first-world nations, these toilets have two-flush controls: one for liquid waste and the other for solids. When used properly, the overall average flush volume is typically around 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf). A variety of quality manufacturers make dual-flush toilets, some meeting the 1,000 gram test maximum. Some dual-flush toilets are lever operated, requiring the user to raise the lever for a small flush and depress the lever for a full flush. Others have two distinct buttons to select the flush. With the lever style dual-flush toilets, there is a possibility that users will not be conscientious enough to lift the lever when a small flush will suffice, thus resulting in higher than expected water use. The button style design requires a conscious decision.
Pressure-assisted HETs
These toilets employ a closed vessel inside the tank. When pressurized water enters the vessel, air is compressed at the top. When the water is released, the air expands rapidly, creating a high-velocity jet of water that pushes the waste through the trap. Eight major manufacturers make pressure-assisted HETs that flush with just 1.1 gallons and are capable of consistently disposing of 500 to 1,000 grams in a single flush. Although pressurized units have become quieter, some people object to the brief, but noisy flush. A benefit of pressurized units is that they are flapper less.
Gravity flush HETs
The new generations of gravity flush high-efficiency toilets typically have enlarged flappers and waste trapways. Through computer modeling and extensive testing, engineers have developed models with superior siphoning action to help pull the waste through the bowl. Gravity flush HETs are available that are capable of flushing up to 1,000 grams of solid waste. Gravity flush HETs use flappers and many of the flappers are proprietary, which may make it difficult to find replacements at a neighborhood hardware store.
