Plumbing leaks are never a good sign. They are a nuisance, and most times a sign of a problem that will only grow worse. Leaky faucets, for example, waste a lot more water than you may realize, plus they put undue stress on the environment. A small drip probably doesn\u2019t seem like much to you. However, when you add it up over a period of time, it can be detrimental to your water bill and to the environment. But why are small leaks such a big deal?<\/p>\n
The EPA\u2019s WaterSense<\/a> website claims that the average household\u2019s dripping faucets could account for over 10,000 gallons of water wasted each year, the equivalent of the amount of water needed to wash 270 loads of laundry! So how much water does just one drippy faucet waste? To determine this, the American Water Works Association developed a drip calculator<\/a>. You can determine how much water your drippy faucet is wasting by recording the number of drips per minute, and putting that amount into the calculator.<\/p>\n Using this calculator, and assuming your faucet is dripping once per second, you would find you\u2019re wasting 8.64 gallons of water a day, or 259.2 gallons of water per month. That\u2019s just with one drippy faucet too. Imagine if you had \u201csmall\u201d plumbing leaks in multiple areas of your home. It would certainly equate to a large amount of water loss.<\/p>\n A small plumbing leak within your home may not seem like much to you at first. However, if you don\u2019t take care of the problem right away, water loss and costs can certainly add up. As your small plumbing leak grows, it can increase the cost of repairs or even potentially create new leaks. It\u2019s important that you take action now, to cut down on your water bill as well as your environmental impact.<\/p>\n