Nobody wants to waste water, because it shows up as high water bills. But it’s easy to slip into patterns of water use that are wasteful, such as luxuriating too long in the shower, or leaving the water in the sink running as you do some other cooking task.
But when you see water bills that are abnormally high, and you feel certain you’re observing at least decent water-conserving measures, it can be concerning. If the rise in cost isn’t because of a general rise in water prices, you may have a problem that will require the help of plumbing professionals in San Juan Capistrano, CA to fix. We’ll take a look at where the water waste is occurring, and where that water is going.
The hidden pipe leaks
Leaking pipes are often hard to detect because most pipes are hidden from view. Pipes in the crawlspace or in the ceiling can begin to lose water through small holes and you won’t notice anything until the leaks start to cause damage to drywall or creates other visible signs. An alarming number of homes have hidden leaks that contribute to rising costs. The way to deal with this is to call professionals to provide leak detection for your house. Our experts can find out if you have hidden leaks, then use special tools to find them and fix them.
The dripping faucet (or faucets)
People underestimate how much water a dripping faucet can waste. It seems minor, but those drips can end up wasting 20 gallons of water a day or even more. Now expand that over a month and you’ve lost 600 gallons of water. The average shower uses 16 gallons of water, so that dripping faucet is equal to about 35 showers, or more than an extra shower a day. We not only recommend having the faucets fixed, we recommend putting in special low flow fixtures.
Broken water softener
Do you have a water softener for your home? Many homes in Orange County can benefit from water softening, since hard water is a frequent problem for plumbing. But if the water softener malfunctions, it will cycle over and over again, which is a major drain on water. We work with water softeners and can help track down if this is a problem with your rising water bills.
Constantly running toilet
A toilet should only run for about a minute after it is flushed. If the toilet has a leaky flapper or worn-down gaskets, it will continue to run water from the tank and into the bowl, which is a big water-wasting source. Don’t ignore the toilet that runs continually: please call our experts to see what can be done.
Sprinkler leaks
If you have a sprinkler system, broken pipes may be leaking water into the yard or garden without you noticing it. There are a number of other possible water leak sources on your property outside the house, including leaks in the water main.
Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air has served Orange County since 1981. Schedule plumbing service with one of the best teams around.