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June 12, 2012 – Tinton Falls, NJ – A.J. Perri, the leading heating, cooling and plumbing company in central New Jersey, wants homeowners to be aware that an average home with leaking fixtures loses approximately 10,000 gallons of water per year.
Kevin Perri, A.J. Perri Vice President, tells a common story, “Most people don’t realize they have a big leak until they get their water bill. One local homeowner recently received a bill that was more than three times the usual amount. She had to call in a plumber to find where the water was leaking. It turned out to be a toilet tank that was leaking, but the leak was silent so the homeowner had no idea until she received her bill.”
Perri continues, “In a case such as this one, a running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons of water a day. A 10-drip-per-minute showerhead wastes more than 500 gallons of water per year, enough to run a dishwasher 60 times; a one-drip-per-second faucet wastes more than 3,000 gallons per year. These are numbers that should not be ignored.”
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, leaking water accounts for more than 1 trillion gallons wasted every year. That’s as much as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami combined use annually.
Perri wants consumers to know how to identify leaks in their home:
• For a family of four, water usage should not be above 12,000 gallons a month for the coldest months of the year. Any usage greater than this indicates a leak.
• Inspect toilet flappers, faucets, showerheads, and other valves, which are the most common source of leaks.
• During a two-hour period when no water is being used, monitor the water meter. Any movement indicates a leak.
• Place a drop of red or blue food coloring in the toilet tank—not the bowl. Wait 15 minutes, then check the bowl. If any color moves, there is a leak. Flush at the end of the test so the food coloring doesn’t stain.
• Look at faucet gaskets and pipe fittings for water on the outside of the pipe.
• Watch a video by the Regional Water Providers Consortium (www.conserveh2o.org) for additional tips.
• Call a plumber if a leak is indicated but no source is found.
“There isn’t any reason to let leaks continue,” says Perri. “Homeowners save an average of 10 percent on their water bill after fixing a leak. In this way, the plumber’s visit pays for itself quickly”
A.J. Perri
A.J. Perri is dedicated to providing total home comfort for their New Jersey neighbors. Based in Tinton Falls, New Jersey, they have over 52 years of experience in the heating and air conditioning, and plumbing industry. They service those in Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer, Middlesex, Union, Essex, and Morris counties.