March 12-18, 2012 is the 4^th Annual Fix a Leak Week

Did you know that the average home leaks enough water every year to fill a swimming pool? That’s a lot of water. Which is why WaterSense, a partnership program from the EPA, created the annual “Fix a Leak Week” — to encourage and educate consumers about leaks and how to eradicate them.

From the “Wanted: ‘Bad’ Flapper” campaign in New Mexico to the “Leak Detective Training” program at Piedmont Elementary School in Charleston, West Virginia, cities, counties and states are demonstrating their support of the annual leak awareness campaign.

Check out these water saving pledges (and ideas):

·         “I’m for Water” on the WaterSense site

·        Take the Pledge on ConservationPays.com

Saving water can save you money on your water bills — and it’s good for the environment. Hard to beat that.

1. Your water meter is your friend

Make sure no water is being used in your home for two hours — check the water meter reading at the beginning of those two hours and again at the end — if there has been a change, chances are you have a leak.

2. Food coloring isn’t just for Easter eggs

To determine if your toilet tank is leaking, drop a bit of food coloring in the tank — if the water in the bowl shows up colored in 15 minutes or less, you have a leak. To prevent staining your toilet, make sure to flush the toilet thoroughly after 15 minutes, leak or no.

3. An oldie but a goodie — turn off the water while you brush your teeth

Turning the water off while you’re brushing your teeth can save 2 to 4 gallons of water per brushing (according to the U.S. Geological Survey) — for the average person who brushes their teeth twice a day, that works out to somewhere between 1,500 and 3,000 gallons of water a year. Assuming it requires only about a gallon of water to wet and rinse your toothbrush, you would save enough water to brush your teeth for another 2 to 4 years.

4. Save water and make clean-up easier at the same time

When you’re cleaning baked-on, cooked-on, burnt-on pots and pans — let them soak for a while and then clean them, rather than running water on them and scraping them. (Bonus tip: for pans that are too big for your sink, or pots that are particularly stubborn — fill with water and a little dish soap and place in a warm oven or on the stove over very low heat for 30 minutes to an hour — the warm water and soap will soften the residue and make the pan easy to clean.)

Frost King Foam Pipe Insulation (available at Lowes.com)

5. Insulate your pipes

Installing pre-slit foam pipe insulation around your water pipes will get you hot water faster — it will help you waste less water waiting for it to heat up.

For more tips on cutting your water bill and saving water, check out these sites:

·        25 ways to conserve water in the home and yard (EarthEasy.com)

·        100 Ways to Conserve (WaterUseItWisely.com)