Drip. Drip. Drip. Pretty annoying when you can hear the drip in the middle of the night. Really annoying when you need to remove the hard water scale or the rust stain from the sink or tub. Did you ever think about how much water and energy you are wasting?
Let’s do the math. If a faucet is dripping once per second, a constant drip-drip-drip will waste about 2,100 gallons of water per year. Since there is no standard drip amount, the actual wasted water could be 4,000 gallons per year – typical for a dripping shower head. Industry studies indicate that on the average about 6% (or about 10 gallons) of a household’s daily water usage is attributed to leaks.
If the drip is from a hot-water faucet, think of this: every gallon of hot water that’s wasted was already heated. Now add several dollars per year for heating that wasted water.
Don’t forget that every wasted gallon must be treated in the sewage treatment plant, often at additional cost. The water must be treated and pumped to your home from the municipal water supply or your own well – that costs money as well.
Dripping fixtures cost you money. Always repair dripping fixtures to save on cleaning, water and energy.
