Fix Leaks

 

Save Money

 

 

A Publication of Burbank Water and Power


DO I HAVE A LEAK?

Find your water meter and use it to check for leaks.  It is usually located in the parking strip or the sidewalk, usually in a concrete vault.  Remove the access cover to the vault and lift the lid to read the dials.

Make sure that all water-using appliances are off, and don't forget about the automatic icemaker if you have one.  Turn off ALL water, inside and out.
If your meter has a ONE dial (the most common type in Burbank), it should not be moving.  If it is, water is passing through the meter and there is a leak somewhere on your property.

If it is not moving or if you have a different type of meter, note the meter reading and check it again after an hour.  If the reading has increased, you have leaks and repairs should be made.  Fixing leaks saves YOU money.

 

FINDING  LEAKS

Most high water bills are caused by leaks in toilets.  These leaks can waste up to two hundred gallons of water a day.  You can see and hear some leaks, but many are silent and hard to find.  A bad flapper valve, flapper valve seat, a bad ballcock valve, an improperly positioned float arm, or a defective overflow tube can cause them.

 
Visit the Conservation counter in the lobby of 164 W. Magnolia and get your FREE Home Water Audit Kit.  Besides step-by-step instructions for finding leaks, this kit contains two non-toxic blue dye tablets.  These dye tablets give you a quick, easy way to check for leaks.  Just follow these simple instructions.

Carefully remove the toilet tank lid and set it aside. Drop one of the dye tablets inot the tank and stir slightly. DO NOT FLUSH.

Leave the tablet in the tank for 15-20 minutes. If color appears in the bowl, you have a leak and repairs must be made. Please fix it as soon as possible and stop wasting water and YOUR money.

A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons of water a day.  Faucet leaks are easy to detect.  If it drips, or worse, continues to run after you shut it off, it needs to be fixed.  If the dripping water is hot, it is also wasting energy you use to heat the water.

Water dripping or running from the showerhead when the shower is turned firmly off, is usually caused by a bad washer or seat which needs replacing.  Also, check for leaks from the tub faucet when a tub shower is on.  This leak will defeat the purpose of a low flow showerhead because the water you save with a low flow shower is lost from the tub faucet.

 
SIZE OF LEAK
WATER WASTED IN THREE MONTHS
1/32" drip
18,500 gallons
1/16" trickle
74,000 gallons
1/8" stream
296,500 gallons
1/4" stream
1,181,000 gallons

 
Problems with plumbing fixtures may be due to old age and corrosion or wear and tear.  Replacement or repair parts can be purchased at a local hardware store or plumbing supply store.  You can make the repairs yourself or consult a plumber.
 

REPAIRS!

Save water by fixing leaks.  Leaking toilets and dripping faucets are more than a nuisance.  They waste water and cost you money.  If your water bill skyrockets for no apparent reason, chances are there's a leak somewhere.

Finding and fixing household leaks can be easy and inexpensive.  Take a few minutes to check for leaks.  In the long run it will save you money.

Leaking toilets and dripping faucets are more than a nuisance.  They waste water and cost you money.