Are you ready to chase down leaks? Fix a Leak Week, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® program, takes place in March. The program encourages families to check the interior and exterior of their homes for water leaks and drips in areas such as the kitchen, bathroom, or yard.
You can spend just 10 minutes walking through your home to check for leaks or doing one quick task each day:
- Review your water bill for January or February; if a family of four uses more than 12,000 gallons of water in a month, you might have a leak.
- Walk through your house, listening for running toilets and looking for drips. Drips usually mean leaks.
- Use pipe tape or a wrench to ensure tight connections, such as those where showerheads attach, are tight.
- Check faucet washers and gaskets for wear and replace them if needed.
- Place a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank to check your toilet. If the color appears in the bowl within a few minutes, you may need a new flapper. Flush afterward to avoid staining the tank.
- You can easily replace your leaky toilet flapper with this WaterSense Bath Hack
Download the 10-minute challenge checklist here: English | Spanish