I don't know about you, but if there is anything that I find annoying is wasting good clean water. It's not only the cost, but the idea that a natural resource that is not easily renewed is being wasted; truly bothers me.
As a landlord I know that my costs will increase rapidly if my water consumption is not managed, also in my area we have to pay a sewer charge of 60-75% of the water bill. Yes we have to pay for the water that comes in and goes out of the house, 2 separate bills; even if the water is used to water the lawn [which I also dislike doing, that's why I started this business. www.ctlawnpainting.com ]
Leaks from faucets, water heaters and washer machines are easy to find and in most cases easy to fix, but there is one type of leak that is not so easily detected, and that's the one I want to talk about.
When my water bill jumps by $100 from the previous bill I know that most likely I have a leaky toilet. It is incredible the amount of water and money this little piece of rubber at the bottom of the toilet tank can cost a property owner.
The way to detect it is not by looking but by listening; so next time you are on the porcelain throne, listen;if the tank continues to fill itself but has not been flushed, you have one of these little bandits flushing your water and hard earned money down the drain.
The fix for this is simple and inexpensive [not counting wasted water cost, of course] just need to replace the rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank which at your local hardware or home center should run $7 to $15.
Another thing I do is replace the tank fill valve with a model specially designed to prevent these type of "slow" leaks. What it does is simple; if the toilet is flushed normally the fill valve allows water to come in to the tank as in normal operation, but if the water level in the tank goes down slowly, without the use of the flush handle, as in the case of a leaky flapper, the fill valve will prevent automatic filling of the tank, thus preventing the wasteful water leak and alerting you of the problem. These cost between $12-$20; I have had great results with these units.
I hope this helps
Diego
Connecticut Lawn Painting www.ctlawnpainting.com Cell 914 843-4401
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