Dripping Faucet Calculator: How Much Water and Money a Drip Wastes
Count the drips, enter your water rate, and estimate how many gallons a leaky faucet or showerhead wastes in a year, based on EPA WaterSense figures.
How the calculation works
The EPA’s WaterSense program states that a faucet dripping at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year. One drip per second is 60 drips per minute, so the calculator scales that figure to your count:
Gallons per year ≈ (drips per minute ÷ 60) × 3,000 × number of dripping fixtures
Because the EPA’s figure is “more than” 3,000 gallons, treat the result as a minimum estimate. Drop size varies by faucet, so a fast, heavy drip can waste more.
If you enter your combined water and sewer cost per 1,000 gallons, the calculator also estimates the yearly cost. Many water bills list the rate per 1,000 gallons, per hundred cubic feet (CCF) or per unit; if yours uses CCF, one CCF is about 748 gallons, so divide the CCF price by 0.748 to get the price per 1,000 gallons.
How to count drips
- Close the faucet the way you normally do.
- Put a cup under the spout so you can hear or see each drip.
- Count drips for one full minute with a timer.
- Repeat for each dripping fixture, or count one and enter the number of similar fixtures.
Worked example
A bathroom faucet drips once per second (60 drips per minute):
| Drips per minute | Fixtures | Estimated waste |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | 1 | at least 3,000 gallons per year |
| 30 | 1 | at least 1,500 gallons per year |
| 60 | 2 | at least 6,000 gallons per year |
If your water and sewer cost is $12 per 1,000 gallons, the first case costs at least $36 a year. If the drip is hot water, you also pay to heat it.
Put it in perspective
The EPA estimates the average household’s leaks waste more than 9,300 gallons a year, and that fixing easily corrected household leaks can save about 10 percent on water bills. Worn washers and gaskets are a common cause of faucet leaks, and replacing them is usually an inexpensive repair. Our leaky faucet guide walks through identifying your faucet type and replacing the worn part.
Find hidden leaks too
A drip you can see is the easy one. The EPA suggests checking your water meter before and after a two-hour period when no water is being used; if it changes, you probably have a leak somewhere else, such as a running toilet. A few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank reveal a leaking flapper if color appears in the bowl.
Limits of this estimate
The result is based on the EPA’s one-drip-per-second figure scaled linearly. Real drop sizes differ, and a faucet that streams rather than drips wastes far more. Use the estimate to decide how quickly to fix the leak, not as an exact meter reading.