The HTRC

The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center

Brought to you by:

You are here: Home / Water Conservation / Fix a Leak Week: A Recap of Resources & a Rant

Fix a Leak Week: A Recap of Resources & a Rant

This week happens to be the 4th annual Fix a Leak Week where everyone is reminded to check for leaks around their home & get them repaired.  If you consider that just one faucet that drips once every other second costs you 1,041 gallons of water a year you can easily see how the numbers add up when you include other faucets, toilets, and shower heads. For a more graphical illustration, our friend Nick over at Cupboards has in interesting infographic on it. (Drip Calculator)

In some cases the leaks can be much worse as Todd Vendituoli, pointed out in a recent post on his Building Blox blog where he helped a homeowner stop 140 gallons of water from going down the toilet a day. If you quickly run those numbers that is 4200 gallons a month & over 50,000 gallons a year which is a big thing no matter where you live. In this case it is a worse as they are dealing with a limited water supply on an island, as you might recall from Todd’s guest article on Water he did here.

Resources:

  • HTRC: Free Utility Tracking Spreadsheet & Directions — while you can hear the drips your first warning of an undetected leak is sometimes only spotted when you get your bill – wait is that normal or…
  • HTRC: Reading your water meter — how to use your water meter to detect leaks
  • HTRC: Blog Action Day: Water — how to cut water usage and other money saving tips
  • Building Blox: The 140 Gallon a day Toilet
  • Building Moxie: Fix a Leak Week – three cheers to the faucet makers — JB has a great piece on not only how Hansgrohe, Delta & American Standard are participating but some great resources on their sites & Facebook pages
  • USGS: Drip Calculator not only does it have an interesting calculator it also has a wealth of information on water including rainwater
  • EPA WaterSense: Fixing Leaks Around the House an easy to use sheet with tips for homeowners
  • EPA WaterSense: The WaterSense Label a good page about the program and products that qualify

The Rant:

You may have noticed that I purposely did not list that this is the EPA’s 4th Annual for one simple reason – I wanted people to hopefully look about their house & hopefully do something instead of just going, pfft… just another meaningless government program. This point was made abundantly clear to me at last week’s Home Builder Show (Picture above) where a nice lady was so vehemently opposed to these programs. Part of it I can fully understand as she had to deal with the 9th Circus I mean Circuit Court of Appeals which can be known for going over the deep end.

I also must mention & say that I fully agree with Ronald Reagan that “Government is not the solution but the problem” in many areas (yes folks you have to take it in the context he delivered it). With that said while I have had plenty of issues with the EPA, ENERGY STAR, DOE & numerous other items, it doesn’t mean that everything they provide should be ignored. In that vein, while we have raked some of them over the coals here & elsewhere we also like to point out the good things and information they provide. With all that said, I hope you do take a look around your house for those leaks & try to keep an open mind about the information they do put out – in some cases it really can be helpful.

Related posts:

Droughts, Lawns, & Reducing Use
Tuesday Tip: Adjusting Hot Water Temp. for Showers & Baths
Remodeling your Bathroom: Going Green – Why?
My Take: Water - Energy Efficiency, Codes & Plans
Preventing or fixing frozen water pipes
Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century – Rain Water Intake
FAQ: How quickly will my water heater...
Going Off-Grid in the 21st Century – Gray Water (what the heck is that?)
  •  Tweet
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Filed Under: Water Conservation, WaterSense Tagged With: Water March 16, 2012 By SLS Leave a Comment

Featured Posts

January - Mid Winter Maintenance Checklist

Welcome to the start of a New Year, and the first full month of winter. This is the time of the year when many individuals try to wipe the slate ...

Read More

Preventing or fixing frozen water pipes

Updated: This article was originally posted in early 2010 after the Alabama Department of Health issued the following warning via press release: Prolonged period of cold weather ahead prompts warnings to ...

Read More

BS4D: Saving on Heating Related Energy Costs

For the bulk of the year, energy costs are not a big concern to many and instead most calls relate to comfort, safety or health issues. We are now starting ...

Read More

FAQ - Do I need storm doors or windows?

As the weather starts turning colder many start wondering - should I replace my windows, get a storm door, install storm windows, or??? Shoot I live in an area governed ...

Read More

Common Sense Building: Build Radon Out

Common Sense Building: Build Radon Out

As many of you probably already know, January is National Radon Month. Just like CO, it is an odorless & tasteless gas; however, unlike CO there are no warning signs ...

Read More

FAQ: Ceiling fan direction - summer & winter

One of the biggest questions out there is which direction should my fan be running and how can I tell. You look at the switch and realize it isn't any ...

Read More

FAQ on Duct Cleaning: All Hype or Worthy Expense?

It must be spring time... I got the following in the mail just the other day: 5 different ads all for duct cleaning. With allergy season starting along with my ...

Read More

Random Glossary term

  • CR

    This week happens to be the 4th annual Fix a Leak Week where everyone is reminded to check for leaks around their home & get them repaired.  If you consider that just one faucet that drips once every other second costs you 1,041 gallons of water a year you can easily see how the numbers […]

The HTRC - Copyright © 2006–2021 by TheHTRC.com & SLS Construction & Building Solutions LLC http://SLS-Construction.com