Check for Toilet Leaks

It is easy enough to check your faucets. Simply stare at the faucet for a few minutes and if you do not see water drip, then the faucet is likely fine. Toilets are another matter.

Most toilets do not leak in huge, easily visible ways. Sometimes it is like being a detective. You are sleeping at night then you suddenly hear the toilet refill. Did somebody just flush? You open you eyes but the lights are off, no light from the bathroom either, the bathroom door is open and there is no one in either. Was it a ghost? Well, since I tend not top believe in ghosts then it must be a leaky toilet. Of course, because most homes are constructed of what amounts to paper and wood, it is possible the toilet you heard came from outside your door, or even in the living room. The prudent thing to do would be the check everyone of them.

I check each toilet by taking a few minutes to stare at the waterline, looking for tell-tale signs of a constant flow of water. If I do not see anything I usually move on to the next. But what if you really suspect that toilet in the guest room but do not see those tell-tale signs, also called "Silent Leaks"? How do you get the suspect to talk without resorting to harsh interrogation techniques or prematurely jumping to a guilty verdict? Being a good detective who has done some of his homework, I know there is something in my bag of tricks that will do the job. In this case, it takes the form of a tablet, a coloring dye that will make the suspect talk and reveal whether it is the source of the leak, or not.

I have tried a couple of versions of these toilet leak dyes, like Blue Streak Pro 200. The way these work is that you put the tablets into the water tank. The dye dissolves and if there is a leak, you should find out in a few minutes. I have also used cheaper household items to color the water in the tank, things like orange juice or even coffee. OK, only coffee then. The principle is the same whether you use the dye or coffee. The end result is that you catch a leak before it starts costing more money than you care to spend.

Schedule Regular Faucet Inspections

I recently came down into the basement to get some work done and notice a dripping noise. Since it was raining that day I did not pay too much attention to it. A day later, I could still hear the dripping noise yet it was no longer raining. After a quick search I found that the water was dripping. Who knows how long this had been occurring. If I had not gone down into the basement that day the dripping faucet could have gone unnoticed for months. An acquaintance of mine had a similar though far worst experience. His mother lived by herself, in a home with an unfinished basement. She never visits the basement without reason. On receiving her water bill she noticed a huge increase in the amount she must pay, so she visits her basement, and there she finds her water heater with huge water leak. Needless to say she was lucky. Her unfinished basement had actually allowed the water to drain away, the damage to her house could have been substantial. As for my water bill, I have not received it yet but I hope any increase would be minor.

As you can tell, if we my acquaintances mom and myself both regularly scheduled checks of our faucets, toilets or water heater, we could have caught the problems earlier. I do check the toilets and faucets we use on a daily basis but, regularly scheduled visits to those you do not regularly use is important. I have now added this to my calendar, to regularly check every three months all faucets, both inside, outside, and in the basement.

After a Few Weeks of Observation

I've been observing the way the aerators are being used, and so far everybody agrees that in terms of the amount of water saved, the instant aerator takes the cake. It all has to do with turning off instantly. However, it all depends on what you are doing. My daughter had mentioned that when washing her face, she prefers the instant off aerator. I agree, and include brushing your teeth.My other daughter seems to be partial towards the manual on/off aerator. But regardless of what you prefer, it doesn't take long to get used to the aerators, and you would save money on both types, when used right and consistently.

I will continue observations, and maybe soon, decide on standardizing the aerators around the house.

Comparing Water-Saving Aerators

I had a short discussion with some friends regarding aerators over the Holidays. It seems that everybody has some concerns as to which type would be best suited to there situation. If you find yourself with the same situation, please read this short article at http://www.squidoo.com/aerator-on-off on the installation and comparison between the manual on/off aerator and the instant-off aerator. I would certainly be interested in reading your opinion regarding the two types.

Another Aerator with an On/Off Switch

As I had mentioned in my December 18 entry, I do intend to try the other version on aerator with an on/off switch. The earlier version I tried was Danco Perfect Match 36416B that was designed for kitchen use. The other version is the DANCO 2.5 GPM Instant-Off Energy-Saving Aerator which is designed specifically for use in the bathroom. It has a lever (or rod) that lets water flow when you push on it, and stops water from flowing when you let go. An automatic on/off switch. It also has a setting that allows the continuous flow of water.

Why use the Instant-Off aerator?

There are a lot of situations where you need to adjust the water temperature of the sink. Examples are brushing your teeth or washing you face. While using a cup to hold the warm water while brushing your teeth helps, you probably won't do that when washing your face. The result is wasted water as the water continuous to flow while lathering and rinsing. The instant-off feature addresses this issue.

Installation and Use

Installation is simple. Just have an adjustable wrench available to remove the old aerator, then install and hand-tighten the new aerator, then test for leaks. If there is a leak, then use the wrench to tighten, but not too much. One thing you need to look out for is the orientation of the lever. Although water is supposed to flow whether you push, pull or rock the lever from side to side, there is a preferred direction. You should orient the aerator such that this preferred direction matches what you would normally use.

Performance

The Instant-off feature worked as expected. But while I found that setting the continuous flow by pushing the lever up, then twisting it a quarter turn just a little annoying, others in my household found it hard to use. Turns out that some prefer the aerator with an on/off switch (no lever) to the instant-off (with lever). To that I say, “to each his/her own”.