How to save money on your toilets:
Flushing Toilets are a convenience that many of us take for granted. This household workhorse deserves some credit. The modern toilet we are most used to, with flushing capabilities, has only been around a little over a hundred years now. But plumbing itself has been around for thousands of years, which in itself is amazing, but if you do not care for your home’s plumbing it could be costing you hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a year.
Even with that kind of history, many people neglect to care for their toilets until it just stops working. What most people do not know is that a constantly running toilet can waste 30-50 gallons a day! This amounts to hundreds of dollars a year being wasted.
While water districts will have different rates, which homeowners can look up on the district websites. Though most districts charge around $5 for each 700 gallons a month used. Some simple math can show how dramatic that cost can add up. Lets say your home has 4 toilets, with 2 constantly running. They both waste an estimated 30 gallons a day. So with that in mind that is 60 gallons a day x 7 days a week, which is on top of you home’s normal water usage. That equals 420 gallons a week wasted! 1680 gallons month. So with 2 bad toilets you are adding $10-30 (see below comment) a month to your bill. So that is $120-320 a year, that you are literally putting down the toilet.
What many do not realize is as you compound the gallons used, the water company will charge you more! That $5 dollar average only lasts till you hit around 3500 gallons a month, then it can go up to 6-10$ per 700 gallons. To put that in perspective, a 2 person household uses about 5500 gallons a month. Water districts can also adjust prices to be higher during droughts and seasonal changes, it becomes even more important to take care of your household fixtures in order to save money every month.
Now, what can you, as a Homeowner, do to stop this waste? Easy. Call your local Four Star Plumbing Technician! We will come out there, usually same day, to inspect and repair any old or running toilets.
How do you tell if your toilet is leaking or running? Using simple non toxic dye, put it in the toilet TANK (the part that sits above the bowl and holds the water). Wait 5-10 minutes (without flushing) and see if the dye seeps into the bowl itself. If so you know that it is running.
Four Star Plumbing recommends replacing toilets after 8-10 years use. And if that is not in your budget, replacing the fill valve and tank components can help extend the life of the toilet temporarily. In fact, check back soon because we will have a blog post on your local Orange County water companies their rebates.
