Are you a leak detector or a leak ignorer?

The EPA has concluded that the average household’s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year, or enough water to wash nearly 10 months’ worth of laundry.  Yikes! Nationwide, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons annually.  That’s enough water to supply Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico for more than one year.

Be a leak detector.  One good method for detecting leaks is to examine your winter water use.  It’s likely that a family of four has a serious leak problem if its winter water use exceeds 12,000 gallons per month.  Or check your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used.  If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak.

Find more (lots more!) leak detection and repair tips at H2ouse, the EPA’s Watersense Fixing Leaks at Home Guide and Alliance for Water Efficiency. And Join HRWC at the Home, Garden and Lifestyles Show this weekend, March 16-18 at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds. We’ll be handing out FREE leak detection kits. The rest of the sleuthing is up to you.