We spent some of the holidays doing the home chores that never seem to get done in the warmer months and reading. The CRD has a pamphlet on Leak Detection which shows the costs of those leaks we don’t know about or don’t think much about. On a whim because we are water conscious and careful, I put a few drops of blue food colouring into the toilet tanks, knowing we did not have a leak as we could neither see nor hear it. Wrong!  In fifteen minutes the bowl was a lovely Mediterranean blue as the food colouring seeped out.

Our first step to stop the leak was to turn off the water to the tank, flush and give it a really good scrub after we found that the innards were pretty slimy.  Even clean water like we have in the CRD or on a filtered and UV lit well does create “stuff” and that can interfere with the seal of the tank, permitting tank water to seep into the bowl. Well, the scrub was an improvement, but not a complete fix.  Next step was to take the toilet tank apart and scrub and reseat everything. Better, but not perfect. We finally ended up buying new innards at a cost of about $40 per toilet. This replaced parts that were eighteen years old, so that would be about $2 a year. Even though we didn’t have to pay for the wasted well water, we were shocked that we had never noticed the leaks.

We are on a well, so are very water conscious but people on piped CRD water should also be water conscious, more now than ever, because the price of water is going to go up for people on CRD ( Sooke) water due to planned upgrades to the water system. Those improvements are going to be user pay. The Stantec 2022 report to the CRD estimates of the cost of needed work are mind boggling and even though the costs are amortized over decades, the home-owner water costs are going to go up soon.

(Note: 606 Water Group will also be participating in the CRD “Fix a Leak” programme in March handing out the CRD package of tablet, brochure and shower bag.)

Below see the CRD calculations on leak costs:

“Leaking Toilets

High volume water leaks often come from toilets. They are hard to detect and are usually caused by worn or misaligned parts. A toilet that continues to run after flushing could be wasting 20-40 litres of water per hour — that’s 175,000 to 350,000 litres per year, enough water to fill a swimming pool and, if unattended, could cost up to $726 per year.

Finding a Toilet Leak

To check for a toilet leak, use a CRD dye tablet or food colouring. Carefully remove the toilet tank lid. Place a CRD dye tablet or some food colouring in the tank. Wait about 15 minutes without flushing. After 15 minutes check the water in your toilet bowl. If the water is coloured, you have a leak. Toilet repairs may require the assistance of a plumber. For a free CRD dye tablet and Indoor Guide to Household Water Efficiency call 250.474.9684 or find it online.

Water Saving Toilets

For additional water and dollar savings replace your water guzzling toilet(s) with a 4.8 litre or high efficiency (HET) model. An average household can save up to 30,000 litres of water a year which could equate up to $62 per year.”

From CRD “Leak Detection” Brochure