January 13, 2014

Story by Sarah Santner, Water Conservation Program

Some of us look forward to the college bowl season to cheer on our favorite football team. Others watch the Super Bowl just to catch the popular commercial lineup. Whether you tune in or not, there’s one bowl we should all keep our eyes on: the toilet bowl.

The most common place to find a leak in a home or business is the toilet. While it might seem like a minor problem, toilets can waste lots of water over time, affecting the environment and your pocketbook.

Checking for toilet leaks is easy. Use these "Three Rs" to tackle your toilet and start saving water and money inside your home:

REMEMBER to check your toilet for leaks twice a year. Tying the schedule to easy-to-remember annual events (like the Super Bowl in the winter and the 4th of July in the summer) is a great way to ensure it gets done. To check for leaks, add 10 drops of food coloring inside your toilet tank and wait 10 minutes. If the dye color shows up in your toilet bowl, you have a leak.

REPAIR leaks that can be fixed by do-it-yourselfers using inexpensive replacement parts. Check out this short video on how to repair a leaky toilet from our partners at the Regional Water Providers Consortium:

www.conserveh2o.org/how-to-videos-water-conservation

REPLACE older toilets with a WaterSense high-efficiency one. Older toilets can use up to four times more water per flush. The Portland Water Bureau currently offers a $50 rebate for replacing an old toilet or urinal with a high-efficiency model. Commercial, residential and multifamily properties are eligible. The old toilet or urinal must be recycled at an approved recycling center. For complete rebate details visit: www.portlandoregon.gov/water/rebate