Fix a Leak Week Student Worksheet

Name:
EPA832-F-09-
WaterSense
a Leak Week Student Worksheet
Learn how to find leaks and save water at home during Fix a Leak Week

Lesson 1: Watch the Clock (and the Meter)
What's the big deal with drips? Small leaks can add to big water waste. Try these activities and math
problems to see how fast water waste adds up.

Activity: Check Your Water Meter
Water utilities, the companies or organizations that provide running water to our
homes, keep track of how much water a family uses each month or season with a
water meter. Your home's water meter is a device that measures how much water
flows into your house. Water meters are usually located outside, either under a
metal cover on the sidewalk or in a box outside the house.
See the example of a water meter to the right. The numbers in the boxes show
how much water has been used since the last reading. Meters show water use in either
gallons or cubic feet (or ccf, a hundred cubic feet). 1 cubic foot of water = 7.48 gallons.
One way to discover if your home has leaks is to check your water meter before and after a two-hour period
when no water is being used. Here's how: Check the meter and write down what it says. Then be careful
not to flush the toilet, run the faucet, or use any water for at least two hours. At the end of two hours, check
the water meter again. If the meter does not read exactly the same, you probably have a leak. Note: If your
water meter is in cubic feet, the leak may not register within two hours unless it's a very large leak.

Where is the water meter located at your house?
What unit of measure does your water meter use? (Circle one) Gallons or Cubic Feet

Instructions:
1. Find the water meter for your house. Write the number and unit it says here:
2. Wait at least two hours. Be careful not to use any water. That means no toilet flushing, dish washing,
clothes washing, hand washing, showering, bathing, or running the hose for the next two hours.
3. At the end of two hours, go back to the water meter to see if it has changed. If it has changed at all,
you probably have a leak.
Write the number and unit it says here:
Bonus: If your water meter reading is in cubic feet, convert it to gal-
lons. Or, if your water meter reading is in gallons, convert it to cubic
feet. Use the equation to the right. Use the final water meter reading
for this exercise.
Write the conversion here:
Conversion Equation
Cubic Feet to Gallons
1 cubic foot = 7.48 gallons
100 cubic feet = 748 gallons

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Lesson 2: Be a Leak Detective
Some leaks are harder to find than others. They can be sneaky and silent, and you have to be a sleuth to
detect them. Here is an experiment to help you track them down.

Activity: Check for Toilet Leaks
For this activity you will need:
• Food coloring or dye tablets
• A clock or watch
• A helpful grown-up
• A toilet

Instructions:
1. Remove the lid off the toilet tank. (Ask an adult for help—the lid can be heavy and hard to move.]
2. Add a few drops of food coloring or a dye tablet into the tank. Do not flush the toilet.
3. Wait 15 minutes. If color appears in the toilet bowl without flushing, it has a leak.
4. Flush the toilet immediately after the experiment ends to avoid staining inside of the tank.

Do the Math:
A constantly running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons of water every day. How many
gallons will the leaking toilet waste in a week (7 days)?
Show your work here:
Write your answer here:
gallons
Bonus: How many 8-ounce glasses of water could
you fill with the amount of water saved from fixing
the leaking toilet?
Write above answer here:
Multiply it by x 128 fluid ounces
Divide it by
•r 8 fluid ounces
Conversion Equation
Fluid Ounces to Gallons
128 fluid ounces = 1 gallon
gallons
fluid ounces
glasses of water

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Lesson 3: Do a Drip Scavenger Hunt
While toilet leaks are usually the biggest water wasters, even small drips from a faucet can add up.

Activity: Check for Dripping Faucets, Showers, Pipes, and Hoses
For this activity you will need:
A watch or clock with a second hand
Instructions:
1. Walk through your whole house, looking and
listening as you go from room to room. Use the list
at right as a guide on where to check for drips.
2. Check the appropriate checkbox if you find a drip
or leak.
3. If you find a drip, use your watch to measure how
many times it drips in one minute. If you find a pipe
that isn't dripping, but is wet, write that down too.

Do the Math:
Location of Drip Drips per Minute
Bathroom(s)
Faucet Q
Showers Q
Bathtub Q
Kitchen
Faucet Q
Pipes under sink Q
Outside
Hose Q
Sprinklers Q

If a faucet leaks at the rate of 1 drip per second, how many
gallons of water does it waste in 1 year?

Show your work here:
1 drip x 60 seconds x
60 minutes x 24 hours
x 365 days
Divide it by
Write your answer here:
-r 10,000 drips
Conversion Equation
Drips to Gallons
10,000 drips = 1 gallon
drips

gallons
If a shower leaks at the rate of 10 drips per minute, how
many gallons does it waste in 1 year?

Show your work here:
10 drips x 60 minutes
x 24 hours x 365 days
Divide it by
Write your answer here:
-r 10,000 drips
Conversion Equation
Drips to Gallons
10,000 drips = 1 gallon
drips

gallons

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Lesson 4: Share What You Learned
Now that you're an expert leak detective, share what you've learned with your family. Fixing leaks is a
good start, plus there are many more ways you can save water and have fun doing it.
Activity: Test Your WaterSense Game
For this activity you will need:
• Access to a computer with Internet or a paper handout of the game from your teacher
Instructions:
1. Log on to www.epa.gov/watersense/kids/games.htm to play Test Your WaterSense.
2. Move Flow, the water-saving character, through water pipes and answer
questions while avoiding water-wasting monsters. Use the information
you've learned in class and more facts found on the WaterSense Kids' Web
site to test your knowledge.
3. Challenge your family to see who can get the best score.
Activity: Take the Pledge to Filter out Bad Water Habits
For this activity you will need:
• Access to a computer with Internet and a printer or a pledge handout from your teacher
• Your family
Instructions:
1. Print out a copy of the pledge from this Web page: www.epa.gov/watersense/docs/
drop pledge508.pdf.
2. Sit down with your family and share what you have learned.
3. As a group, go through the tips for helping you use water more efficiently, and check each one that
you are willing to pledge to do.
4. When you are finished, you and each family member who is participating must sign the pledge at
the bottom and record the date. Congratulations and good luck!
For More Information
Visit the WaterSense Fix a Leak Week site: www.epa.gov/watersense/fixaleak
Or the WaterSense Kids' site: www.epa.gov/watersense/kids
Drainiac
Swirly
Sogosaurus

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