In recognition of the 16th Annual Fix A Leak Week, March 18-24, the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) encourages you to find and fix any pesky water leaks around your home. An initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fix A Leak Week aims to help homeowners easily correct household water leaks to save water and lower water bills.
“Florida’s water supply is one of our state’s most valuable resources. Without realizing it, we may be using more water at home than we think. Did you know that common household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually nationwide?” said PSC Chairman Mike La Rosa. “Spring is the perfect time to check outside and inside your home for water leaks to help your wallet and protect one of our greatest resources.”
Here are some helpful tips for finding leaks:
- Look at your water usage during a colder month, such as January or February (March works, too!). There are severe leaks if a family of four exceeds 12,000 gallons per month.
- Check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used. If the meter changes, you probably have a leak somewhere.
- Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. You have a leak if any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.)
- Examine faucet gaskets and pipefittings for water outside the pipe to check for surface leaks.
- Check your garden hose for leaks at its connection to the spigot.
- Use the EPA’s checklist to help keep track of your search for leaks.
The PSC makes your job easier with helpful guidelines in its Drop by Drop brochure. If you decide to replace leaky faucets, showerheads or other fixtures, look for the WaterSense label to be sure your purchase meets EPA criteria. Find more information on the EPA’s Fix a Leak Week here.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
