Look Before You Leak! WaterSafe is Talking Toilets for Water Saving Week

WaterSafe is helping homeowners make sure that a leaky loo isn’t flushing potential savings in water, energy and money down the pan.

WaterSafe, the UK body for approved plumbers, is partnering with Waterwise, the UK leading authority on water efficiency, for Water Saving Week, which runs from 19–23 March.

The national campaign encourages everyone to take action and save water with daily themed packs containing challenges, tips and resources. These can be downloaded  here.

As toilets are one of the most common leaks – with around 1 in 10 homes and businesses having a leaky loo – this is the focus of Saving Water in Your Home day.

A toilet leaking clean water from the cistern to the pan can waste up to 400 litres of water a day (that’s five full bath tubs) and add around £300 a year to metered water bills if left unfixed.

To keep toilets feeling flush, people can contact their local water supplier who may be able to provide free toilet leak detection strips.

Alternatively, WaterSafe’s advice is:

• Half an hour after a flush, wipe the back of the pan dry with toilet tissue.
• Then place a new, dry sheet of toilet tissue across the back of the pan.
• Leave it in place for up to three hours without using the toilet, or overnight.
• If the paper is wet or torn in the morning – you have a leaky loo.

Julie Spinks, director of WaterSafe said: “WaterSafe is proud to support ‘Saving Water in your Home’ day this Water Saving Week . We’re urging everyone to check their home for leaks, and particularly their loo, and get them fixed as soon as possible.

If you need help always use a WaterSafe approved plumber – you’ll be safe in the knowledge they are trained to work safely with your drinking water, and can also help homes become more water-efficient.”

Waterwise’s Managing Director, Nicci Russell, added: “In recent months there's been a need to use water wisely in the UK as a result of both dry weather and freezing weather. We need to make the water we do have go further every day, and these simple tips to find and fix leaky loos help us all to ensure there's enough water to go round, for people, the economy and the environment.”

WaterSafe is also highlighting the importance of finding and fixing other common leaks in the home using an approved plumber.

Look out for dripping taps, showers, radiators and pipework. Tell-tale signs are loss of pressure, rust, water stains on walls, floors or carpets, or mould on ceilings and walls.

Not all leaks are easy to spot. Signs that you may have a hidden leak in the home include a higher than normal water bill if you’re on a meter.

For more on how to check for a leak at your property and to find an approved plumber,  click here. You can also find information on Twitter @WatersafeUK #LeakyLoos.

Other water-saving themes during Water Saving Week include gardens, schools, workplaces and communities.

Support Water Saving Week at  waterwise.org.uk @Waterwise #WaterSavingWeek.