Each year household leaks across the US waste nearly 1 trillion gallons of water – add in water wasted in places of business – that’s a lot! Join the EPA to save valuable water and money all year and especially during the annual Fix a Leak Week, now through March 20, 2022.
Checking faucet gaskets, pipe fittings, and fixtures regularly for leaks in your business is an easy way to conserve water – not only for your water bill, but for all the resources municipalities use to get clean water to our homes.
In addition to easy visual inspections, here are some lesser known tips for finding leaks in the workplace:
- Read water meters during off-peak hours when water use is lower. If the meter continues to show high use, there may be a leak. Submeters and temporary flow meters can closely monitor specific areas or pieces of equipment to detect problems quickly.
- Identify toilet leaks by placing a drop of food coloring in the toilet tank. If any color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes, you have a leak. (Be sure to flush immediately after the experiment to avoid staining the tank.)
- Install leak detection and failure abatement devices on all major water-using equipment such as cooling towers and boiler systems.
- Put up signs in restrooms, kitchens, and other high-traffic areas where water is used to instruct employees, tenants, and visitors to report leaks to maintenance staff for repair.
- Shut down or use standby mode for all continuous flow equipment between uses. Inspect shutoff valves to ensure they are working properly.
If you’ve already determined you have leaks and haven’t been able to fix them, it might be time to replace your leaking fixtures. When you consult with a plumbing professional, look for the WaterSense labels to increase your workplace’s efficiency and reduce water waste.
Finding and fixing leaks at your workplace is important, but so is conserving water in your household. For more information on finding and fixing leaks wherever they are, visit https://www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week.
