Conserving Water Indoors

Indoor Conservation Tips

Install water-saving devices

Install high-efficiency showerheads and sink aerators.
Fix leaky faucets and toilets.
Install a low-flow showerhead that uses 2 gallons per minute or less.
Consider replacing your toilet with a 1.1 gallon per flush toilet or less.
Buy WaterSense Products at your local hardware store or at Efficiency Works Store online.

The City of Longmont partners with Efficiency Works to offer product rebates and an online store with discounted efficiency merchandise. Learn more about the rebates on our Assistance & Rebate page, or visit the Efficiency Works store at their website.

Change your daily habits

Turn off the faucet. You can save 4 to 8 gallons of water each day by turning off the tap while washing your hands, shaving or brushing your teeth.
Shorten your showers. Install water-saving shower heads and make the goal to shower in 5 minutes or less.
Do not use the toilet for a trash can and flush only when necessary.
Scrape your plates instead of rinsing them. If you have an efficient dishwasher, there is no need to rise before you load.
Run only full loads in the dishwasher and air dry instead of washing dishes by hand. No dishwasher? Use tubs or fill the sink for hand washing.

Leaks

Common types of leaks are worn toilet flappers, dripping faucets, running hoses, and other leaking valves. These types of leaks are often easy to fix, requiring only a few tools and hardware.

Small leaks can equate to many gallons over a month. A leaking toilet at a flow rate of 0.25 gallons per minute will equate to 360 gallons each day which is 10,800 gallons per month. Depending on the billing rate structure, that small toilet leak can equate to a bill increase of over $50 per month.

Learn more about our water rate schedule on our Rates page.

Use the following list to check some places leaks may be hiding in your home. If all looks good inside, you may have an outdoor leak. Make sure to check your garden hoses are not leaking at the connection to the spigot, and if you have an in-ground irrigation system, check to make sure it wasn’t damaged by frost or freezing.

You may need to hire a professional to double-check and/or help you with your indoor leaks.
Learn how you can fix easy leaks on your own at the EPA's website.

In the Bathroom

Toilets: Listen for running water and conduct the food coloring test. Put a few drops of food coloring into the tank at the back of your toilet and let it sit for 10 minutes. If color shows up in the bowl, you have a leak.
Faucets: Listen for drips and turn on the tap to check for water going the wrong direction.
Showerheads: Turn on and look for drips or stray sprays that can be stopped with tape.
In the tub: Turn on the tub, then divert the water to the shower and see if there’s still a lot of water coming from the tub spout; that could mean the tub spout diverter needs replacing.
Under the sink: Check for pooling water under pipes and rust around joints and edges.

In the Kitchen

In the Laundry/Utility Room

In the Basement/Utility Room

Outside

Reading Your Water Meter

An important step in identifying and repairing water leaks is understanding how to find and read your water meter. Water meters are typically located in crawlspaces, basements, or outside in meter pits. Generally, buildings that were constructed pre-2000 will have meters located in crawlspaces or basements, and buildings constructed after 2000 will have meters installed outside in a meter pit. This may not always be the case as meter pits are sometimes installed after original construction.

The tips below can help you find and read your water which can be a valuable tool in identifying, quantifying, and repairing leaks.

First things first, ensure there is no water currently being used. Turn off all faucets and fixtures such as clothes washers and dishwashers and disable automatic fixtures like ice machines. Also, ensure the irrigation system is not running.

Locate and read your meter. If you have a meter pit, carefully remove the meter pit lid using a large crescent wrench or channel locks, once the lid is removed the meter cover can be flipped open. The meter display by default “sleeps” and can be activated by shining a light on the screen. The first reading shown on the meter display is the total reading of the lifetime of the meter. After 20 seconds, the Rate screen is shown. The Rate screen shows the flow rate at which water is currently flowing through the meter in gallons per minute. If the flow rate number has a value greater than 0.00, the meter is registering flow and water is moving through the meter. Water meters that have continuous usage display a leak indicator, this indicator will display during continuous consumption events or if leaks are active in your plumbing system.

The image below shows a flow rate of 50.7 gallons per minute – this is the active flow rate of water moving through the meter.

Flow Screen

Watch the YouTube video to learn how to read your meter if it is located inside your home.

Watch the YouTube video to learn how to read your meter if it is in an outside meter pit.

Tips for locating a leak:

If there is a main shut-off valve inside of the building, shut the valve and check the flow meter again. If the flow rate has stopped moving, the leak is likely outdoors. If the meter is still registering flow, the leak is likely indoors.
If there is a shut-off valve to the irrigation system, close it and check the meter again. If the flow rate has stopped moving, the leak is likely outdoors.