Just because you don’t see or hear water dripping in your home does not mean you do not have a leak in your plumbing that is costing you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year. most homeowners do not realize how big of an impact even the smallest leak can have.
Toilets account for 25% to 30% of total water usage in most homes. This has improved since the widespread usage of low-flow toilets, but it is still a significant portion of overall water usage. According to the EPA, one way to tell if you have a leak in your toilet is to put a couple drops of food coloring in the tank. If the color appears in the bowl after 10 minutes, you have a leak in your toilet.
According to some estimates, 10% of all homes have some kind of leak in their plumbing. These often undetected leaks can waste 90 or more gallons of water every day. Most leaks are easily fixable and can reduce water payments by approximately 10%. Overall, an estimated trillion gallons of water are wasted each year due to running toilets, leaky faucets, and pipe leaks.
Water heating accounts for another 18% of total energy usage, so making sure the water heater is running efficiently and correctly will also save money on utility expenses. Making sure the water heater and all the water lines are insulated also helps to maintain heat and reduce the risk of freezing pipes.
While hiring a plumbing to come out and simply check everything over may seem like a waste of money, it could actually save you a great deal. Most homeowners only call a plumbing when they are having a problem. However, if you have water leaks you aren’t aware of, you may be spending hundreds of dollars that you don’t have to be saving. Likewise, if you have a faulty water heater that is not work efficiently, you may be spending hundreds on heating costs that you could be saving on a monthly basis.
Hiring a plumber once a year or once every other year, can save you a great deal of money. Preventative home care is always the better option in the long-term care of your home. It is also an effective money saving strategy. In addition to finding leaks and inefficiencies that are causing you to waste money on utility costs, you can also identify problems before they become emergencies.
Emergency calls to the plumbing are always considerably more expensive; especially if the call is made during non business hours, which is when plumbing emergencies seem to happen. when you plan preventative maintenance visits with an experienced plumber, potential upcoming emergencies can be spotted and fixed before they are emergencies. A plumber can identify pipes that are going bad, water heaters that need replaced, etc. They can ensure that everything in your home is running at maximum efficiency.