Did you know that a leaking toilet could lose the equivalent of a full swimming pool worth of water in a single year? That's a lot of wasted water and unnecessary cost to homeowners!
Household leaks represent 14 per cent of indoor water use, adding up to a lot of drinking water waste – and high water bills – for many homes in the capital region. The biggest culprit? Toilets. However, because most toilet leaks are caused by a worn or misaligned part, they can be hard to detect.
So in honour of Fix a Leak Week, running March 17 to 23, 2025, the Capital Regional District encourages residents to proactively look for leaks in their homes, to reduce the amount of potable water loss in the region. Here’s how to be a leak detective around your home!
To make things easy, the CRD has free Fix a Leak Week kits available to pick up throughout the region, including toilet dye tabs, a bag to measure the flow rate of the showerhead and a leak detection guide. Visit CRD’s Leak Detection Page to find locations.
Be a Leak Detective:
- Check faucets and toilets for leaks at least once a year to reduce the waste of drinking water. The most common culprits around the home include leaky toilets, faucets, showerheads, service lines and sprinkler systems. If you’re unable to determine the source of the leak, you may need to contact a plumber.
- High-volume water leaks often come from toilets but are hard to detect. Usually caused by worn or misaligned parts, a toilet that continues to run after flushing could waste 20 to 40 litres per hour – that’s enough water to fill a swimming pool in a year!
Using food colouring, juice crystals or dye tablets is the easiest way to test for a toilet leak: Remove the toilet tank lid and put the tablet or colouring in the tank. Replace the tank lid and wait 15 minutes. If you see coloured water in the toilet bowl, you have a leak. Depending on your comfort level, you can either fix the leak yourself, or contact a plumber.
- An intermittent drip from your faucet or showerhead can waste more than 35,000 litres of water a year, enough to fill a bathtub more than 100 times! The good news is that repairing the leak is typically easy, with common culprits including worn washers and “o” rings. A leaky showerhead could also need a tighter connection between the showerhead and the pipe system – pipe tape can help secure it.
- A leaking service line or pipe in your home can add up to serious water waste. Always check your water bill for unusual consumption. CRD Water Services customers can learn how to check for overall leaks on their bills.
- Know the location of your main water shut-off in case of an emergency water leak.
Find more tips at Leak Detection | CRD and be a Leak Detective this spring.