A Dripping Faucet Means Money Down the Drain

There are a number of plumbing problems that might not seem like a big deal when you first discover them. If you have a dripping faucet, you might just choose to ignore it, maybe even making the excuse that the rhythmic drip is soothing. Similarly, a toilet that runs a little from time to time might not bother you as long as it still flushes when you need it to. People even ignore leaky pipes and simply put a bucket under them to catch the water thinking that it would be so expensive to fix that it’s not worth the effort. However, what you may not be considering is the cost of the water you’re losing.

A dripping faucet typically drips about ten drops per minute. The USGS estimates that each drop is approximately 0.25 milliliters. Doing a bit of math, that means that a typical dripping faucet wastes three liters of water every day. That sort of waste adds up quickly, and you’d be losing 90 liters every month, and 347 gallons every year. That can cost you up to $20 a month on your water bill.

Other types of leaks can cost even more. A running toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water a day and cost you between $75 and $100 a month. Leaky pipes are an even greater risk. Even a pinhole-sized hole in a water pipe can waste up to $600 a month in wasted water.

Sometimes, leaks can be hard to detect, so if you notice a rise in your water bill you may want to check around and see if water is leaking somewhere, or even call a plumber to have them find the source of the leak. If you detect a leak in your home, don’t hesitate to call a plumber right away to avoid wasting any more money on lost water.