Canceled: Get Free Advice from Pros on Fixing Leaks, Saving Money at March 21 Event
By Traci Peterson, Arlington Water Utilities
Posted on March 10, 2020, March 10, 2020

On Saturday, March 21, Arlington Water Utilities, in partnership with Arlington Public Library and Tarrant Regional Water District, is hosting a free Fix a Leak Week event from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at George W. Hawkes Downtown Library, 100 S. Center St. 

Editor's note: This event has been canceled.

Looking for ways to save money on your water bill and use water more efficiently? Finding and fixing water leaks around your home is a great place to start, and The American Dream City wants to help.

On Saturday, March 21, Arlington Water Utilities, in partnership with Arlington Public Library and Tarrant Regional Water District, is hosting a free Fix a Leak Week event from 10 a.m. to noon at George W. Hawkes Downtown Library, 100 S. Center St.

Professionals will be on site for demonstrations of easy fixes for household and outdoor leaks. Fixing leaks can save both water and money on your water bill. The first 50 people to register for the Arlington Fix-a-Leak Week event will receive a free home plumbing guide. Click here to register for the free event.

Arlington Water customers with one of the City’s remotely read water meters can view their daily water usage – and sign up for high use and high bill alerts - by logging in to the customer account access website at www.arlingtontx.gov/KnowYourH2O.

Recently, Arlington Water Utilities began emailing continuous water usage alerts to residents with remote read meters who were using at least 3 gallons of water each hour over a consecutive 48 hours. Continuous usage over that period of time is unusual for a residential water account and could be evidence of a household leak. In a survey of those who have received the alerts, most respondents said they looked for leaks and made changes in their home in response to the alerts. Some of the homeowner comments included:

• “Continue to do so as it alerted me to a very slow leaking toilet valve, I would have not noticed before!”

• “We really appreciate that you contacted us as we never would have known that the sprinkler had a problem.”

• “…we found the problem was from apart from the toilet that had gone bad. This was helpful info.”

Fix A Leak Week is a national event promoted by the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program. The EPA estimates that about ten percent of the nation’s homes have water leaks that waste at least 90 gallons per day. By fixing a water leak, a homeowner can save around 10 percent on their water bill.

Here are some tips to find indoor and outdoor leaks at home:

• Check your water meter, write the number down, before and after a two-hour window when no water is being used. If the reading changes during that time, you may have a water leak. Click here to watch a video showing how to read your meter.

• Toilet leaks can be found by placing a food coloring drop into the tank at the back of the toilet. After 10 minutes, if you see any signs of the color in the bowl, you may have a leak.

• To look for surface leaks, simply examine your faucet gaskets and pipe fittings. If you find water on the outside of the pipe, you may have a surface leak.

While Arlington Water encourages residents to look for leaks around their home, it also provides professional resources as part of the City’s water conservation initiatives. To sign up for a free sprinkler system evaluation this spring, please visit www.SaveArlingtonWater.com.

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