Finding and Fixing Leaks Can Save You Water and Money
Although the water industry celebrates national Fix a Leak Week in March, the HCWA reminds its customers to check for household leaks throughout the year, especially in the spring and summer if you have an irrigation system.
Here are some easy steps to take to check to see if you have any household leaks:
1. Locate your water meter in the Meter Box located near the curb of your home.
2. Write down the number or reading on your meter.
3. Set a timer (15 minutes is a good length of time) and make sure there is no water running in the house.
4. After the duration of time has passed, recheck the number or reading on your meter. If that number has changed, you have a household leak.
With the arrival of spring and summer, check to make sure that leak is not in your irrigation system, which can be damaged from previously frozen pipes if they were not properly winterized. To determine if a leak is in your sprinkler system, do a little more investigating:
5. Turn off the valve to your sprinkler system and note the meter reading again.
6. Set another timer and recheck the meter after that time has passed.
7. If the meter stops moving, or the reading is the same, the leak is in your irrigation system.
8. Turn the valve to your sprinkler system back on and set one zone to water.
9. Walk around that zone to see if you see any wet spots or pools of water, or perhaps water bubbling up from the ground.
10. Check to see if the sprinkler heads are working properly, or if heads are broken.
11. Repeat this process (steps 8-10) for each zone of your irrigation system.
12. Contact a Certified Irrigation Contractor to fix any leaks you locate.
For more information, please visit the Community & Education/Water Conservation page on this website (www.hcwa.com), including our video on how to locate your meter and check for leaks here.
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Media Contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
P: 770-757-1681
E: chris@jwapr.com or john.wood@gcsu.edu