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 How to detect leaks
Turn off every plumbing fixture in your home. Take
a reading off your
meter. Leave the water off for a little while and
then take another
reading. If the numbers have changed, you have
a leak. On of the most
common leaks found is in the toilet. To find out
if you have a leaky
toilet, remove the tank lid and add about 5-7 drops
of red or blue food
coloring. (these show up the best) Let sit without
flushing for about
15-20 minutes. If the water in the bowl becomes
colored, a leak exists.
The Water Dept. has dye strips for this purpose
if you need them.
Simple changes to help conserve water
- Toilet use in your home accounts for 40% of water
use. Converting
to a 1.6 gallon toilet can reduce your overall
water use by 25% or more.
- Low-flow water fixtures save on waste, especially
at the shower
head. The shower head in your home may allow a
flow of 7 gallons per
minute. A low-flow shower head (3.5 gallons per
minute) can reduce the
water used in your shower by half.
- Dishwashers and clothes washers can use 17 to
35 gallons of water
per load. Make sure to only run full loads.
- Washing an automobile can use 100 gallons of
water or more.
Sometimes it's not bad to spend a couple of bucks
at the Car Wash.
- A simple day of fun in the sun can become very
costly. Make sure
to monitor your garden hose!
How to read your water meter
It is very easy to figure out how much water you
use each month. First,
find your water meter. They are usually located
in your basement,
laundry room, or crawl space. If you can't find
it, contact the Water
Dept. and ask them. If you have an older style
meter, there is a remote
reader located on the outside of your home that
you can read. Second,
you need to know when to take the reading. The
Water Dept. reads meters
on the 25th of each month, unless that happens
to fall on a weekend. In
that case, you can call the Water Dept. to find
out wahat date they will
be reading. Now, you are ready to take your reading.
Simply write down
the numbers and keep them where you won't lose
them. Finally, subtract
your reading from the following month and there
you have your usage in
gallons! It's that simple. |
