June 24, 2019 •Reid Geiler
The short answer?
It depends on how much water is leaking down the drain. A typical drip is about ten drops per minute, or every six seconds.
If three faucets in your home are dripping at that rate, you are losing two gallons a day down the drain. That may not sound like much, but it translates to 1041 gallons in a year. Water bills are calculated by volume of use, so 1000 gallons could end up costing around $20 a month or $240 a year, depending on your usage rate. If you kick those leaks up to 30 drips a minute, or every two seconds, you are now losing $60 a month or $720 a year. At that rate, a visit from a qualified plumber will pay for itself in just a few months. And you won't have to listen to the dripping sound.
So what causes a leaky faucet to drip in the first place?
There are a number of common issues. The usual suspect is a worn out washer, the little round rubber piece inside the faucet. Every time you turn the faucet off and on, the washer bounces against the valve seat and eventually wears out. That leads to another common problem, which is improper installation of a new washer. If it's not done properly or if the washer isn't the right size, you could end up with a worse leak than when you started.
There are other common causes that don't have anything to do with the washer, like a corroded valve seat or a problem at the base of the faucet. What might seem like a simple "do it yourself" job at first could become more complicated than you want it to be.
The Geiler Company has been fixing leaky faucets and much more for over 130 years, providing prompt, professional and friendly service all at an affordable price.
Call us at 513-574-0025 and let us take a look at that leaky faucet before any more of your money washes down the drain.
