A few weeks ago, we wrote a blog about how you can save water in your kitchen and cut down on your bills. This week we’re going to look into water saving from a different angle by investigating reasons your monthly water bills may start to rise past what they usually are. It’s important to never ignore a spike in water prices. If you can’t account for the rise in the amount of water you regularly use, you may have a major plumbing issue that requires the assistance of our professionals for plumbing repair in Orlando, FL. We’ll find the source of your water cost woes and see that they’re remedied.
Here are 4 of the most common reasons for an unexpected rise in water usage:
#1. Leaky faucets, showerheads, and other fixtures
A leaky faucet is often seen as an annoyance, something that keeps people up a night, rather than a huge source of water waste. But those small drips add up. The EPA’s WaterSense program has some startling statistics about leaky faucets: a faucet that drips one drip per second will end up wasting 3,000 gallons of water annually. So if you have a leaky faucet, showerhead, or other fixture, stop ignoring it and have plumbers fix it or put in new fixtures, such as low-flow faucets.
#2. Leaking toilets
The toilets in a home can account for up to 40% of all indoor water use, the most of any appliance. So when a toilet develops leaks, it can mean large water waste—not to mention concerns with water damage to the floor of bathrooms. (You’ve heard those stories about a toilet crashing through the floor because of leaks weakening the bathroom floor? It’s rare, but it does happen sometimes!) We recommend dropping some food coloring into the tank of all the toilets in your house, then checking 30 minutes later to see if the color has entered the bowl. If it has, you’ve got a leaking toilet in need of repairs.
#3. An old toilet that’s getting worse
Modern toilets use around 3 gallons per flush, while special low-flow models can use as little as 1.3 gallons per flush. Older toilets are big water wasters, and can use up to 6 gallons per flush. However, this isn’t a cause for a sudden rise in water use—you’ve been using that wasteful toilet for years. But an old toilet can start to decline and waste even more water. If your toilets have been in service for more then 20 years, we recommend changing them for newer ones when your water bills spike.
#4. Hidden pipe leaks
Even with copper piping, your home isn’t proof against the development of leaks. Copper piping can suffer from a type of corrosion called pitted corrosion, which creates tiny pinhole leaks. The water waste from these leaks, like faucet leaks, adds up quickly. They’re hard to spot until they’ve done significant damage, so we recommend you arrange with us to do water leak detection in your house when you have unexplained high water bills. Even if you aren’t suspicious of your water costs, we recommend this service for older homes.
Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. has served the plumbing needs of Central Florida since 1975.