Leaks & Meter Reading
The average home leaks 22 gallons of water a day. The most common culprits of all this waste are leaking toilets and dripping faucets. Small leaks can add up to thousands of gallons of water wasted each year. Leaks that go undetected and unrepaired can cost you hundreds.
Do you have a leak? Is your toilet running when no one is around? Is your kitchen sink dripping? Have you noticed a sudden discoloration in your walls? Are there unexplainable wet spots in your yard? You may have a leak.
Do you have a leak?
Toilet Dye Test
The Dye Test
Some toilet leaks are known as SILENT LEAKS, because they usually go undetected. There is an easy test you can do that will positively tell you whether or not your toilet is leaking. Do this when you are going to be able to go without flushing the toilet for five (4) to (5) hours. Like overnight or before you leave the house for work
Remove the cover on the toilet tank and carefully set it aside so it can't be accidently knocked over and cracked. Remove any "in-tank" bowl cleaners that color the water and begin the test with clear water in the tank as well as in the bowl.
You'll need some dye. Food coloring or instant coffee works fine. Another great suggestion is to use several tablespoons of a powdered fruit drink mix. Now put enough dye in the tank water to give the water a deep color. Wait the above described times and check to see if the dyed water is now in the toilet bowl -- your toilet is leaking. A properly operating toilet will store water in the tank indefinitely without any water running into the bowl.
Water on the floor around a toilet is certainly a problem. It can be dripping off a sweaty toilet tank during humid weather; it can mean the wax sealing ring under the bowl has disintegrated, or the bowl is cracked; or it can mean the connections under the tank are leaking.