Studies show that dripping faucets and leaking toilets account for as much as 14% of all indoor water use, equivalent to 10 gallons of water lost per day!

Toilets can account for almost 30% of all indoor water use, more than any other fixture or appliance. Older toilets (installed prior to 1994) use 3.5 to 7 gallons of water per flush and as much as 20 gallons per person per day. Replacing an old toilet with a new model can save the typical household 7,900 to 21,700 gallons of water per year, cutting both your water and wastewater bills.

TIPS (from the American Water Works Association)

• The most common source of leaks is the toilet. Check toilets for leaks by placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If after 15 minutes the dye shows up in the bowl, the toilet has a leak. Leaky toilets can usually be repaired inexpensively by replacing the flapper.
• Don't use the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue, or other small bit of trash, you waste five to seven gallons of water.
• Take shorter showers. Long, hot showers can waste five to ten gallons of every unneeded minute.
• Install a water-efficient showerhead with a flow rate of less than 2.5 gallons per minute. (Replace an existing shower head if a one gallon bucket placed under the flow takes less than 20 seconds to fill.) Your local hardware store stocks inexpensive water-saving showerheads that are easy to install.
• Take baths. A bath in a partially filled tub uses less water than all but the shortest showers.
• Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush. There is no need to keep water pouring down the drain. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.

WEBSITES

 Toiletology 101: The Care and Repair of Toilets [www.toiletology.com/index.shtml]

 Terry Love's Consumer Toilet Report [www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm]