Leaky Faucet Calculator
Gallons and dollars wasted per year from drips per minute.
What it does
A steady drip looks harmless and bills like a leak: 30 drips a minute run 2.85 gallons a day, which compounds to 1,041 gallons a year before the washer gets replaced. Faster drips scale linearly, so doubling the rate doubles the waste.
The tool above takes drips per minute with water price. It returns daily and yearly gallons with liters beside them plus yearly cost. The default 30 drips at $0.015 a gallon wastes 2.85 gal a day, 1,041 gal a year, $15.62.
Constants come from USGS drip math with EPA anchors beside it: a quarter milliliter per drip makes 15,140 drips per gallon and 4,000 per liter. EPA field experience runs thirstier, past 3,000 gallons a year at one drip a second with over 180 showers worth, since real drips exceed lab drops.
Household leaks average past 9,300 gallons a year nationally, which is why washers, seats, and flappers pay back fast. Count showerhead drips too: 10 a minute passes 500 gallons a year on EPA figures.
How to use
- Count drips for one full minute.
- Type the count and your water price.
- Read daily first, yearly beside it.
- Compare yearly against the 9,300 household average.
- Fix washers, seats, and flappers in that order.
- Recount after repair to prove zero.
Formula
- 15140
- USGS drips per gallon at 0.25 mL each.
- 1440
- Minutes per day.
- price
- Water and sewer dollars per gallon.
Lab drops understate real drips, so USGS math is the floor and EPA anchors the lived experience. Hot drips cost heat on top of water.
Worked example
Example: 30 drips a minute
Defaults: 30 drips/min at $0.015/gal.
- Daily drips: 30 x 1440 = 43,200.
- Gallons: 43,200 / 15,140 = 2.85 a day.
- Yearly: 2.85 x 365 = 1,041 gallons.
- Liters: 1,041 x 3.78541 = 3,942 L.
- Cost: 1,041 x $0.015 = $15.62.
- Tool shows 2.85 gal/day, 1,041 gal/year, $15.62/year.
Reference table
| Rate | USGS math | EPA anchor |
|---|---|---|
| 10 drips/min | 0.95 gal/day, 347 gal/yr | Showerhead: past 500 gal/yr |
| 30 drips/min | 2.85 gal/day, 1,041 gal/yr | Default case |
| 60 drips/min (1/sec) | 5.71 gal/day, 2,083 gal/yr | Past 3,000 gal/yr |
| Household leaks avg | Varies | Past 9,300 gal/yr |
| Constants | 15,140 drips/gal | 4,000 drips/L |
Limits
- Steady rate assumed; worsening leaks exceed it.
- Cold water math; hot adds heating cost.
- Sewer charges vary by utility.
- Toilet flappers leak silently past drip math.
Common mistakes
- Timing 10 seconds and scaling noise.
- Pricing water without sewer share.
- Ignoring hot drips energy cost.
- Fixing the washer but not the seat.
- Skipping the post repair recount.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
60 drips a minute?
5.71 gal/day, 2,083 gal/year.
10 drips a minute?
0.95 gal/day, 347 gal/year.
Zero drips?
Rejected: enter 1 to 3600 drips per minute.
Questions
Default waste?
2.85 gal a day, 1,041 a year, $15.62.
Drips per gallon?
15,140 at USGS quarter milliliter drops.
One drip a second?
2,083 gal a year by drip math; EPA anchors past 3,000 in the field.
Showerhead drips?
10 a minute passes 500 gallons a year per EPA.
Household average?
Past 9,300 gallons a year in leaks.
Fix order?
Washers, then seats, then flappers; recount after.