In the desert, every drip counts
Tucson homeowners think about water more than most, and for good reason. The good news is that the biggest sources of household water waste are also some of the easiest and cheapest to fix. Here are three that make a real difference — most of them DIY, and all of them worth a plumber’s quick visit if you’d rather not.
Fix #1: Stop the running toilet
A toilet that runs — or silently refills on its own — is the single biggest water waster in most homes. A bad flapper or fill valve can quietly send hundreds of gallons a day down the drain.
Test it: put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 10–15 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, the flapper is leaking. Replacing a flapper or fill valve is inexpensive and often a DIY job — or we’ll repair the toilet quickly if you’d rather it be handled.
Fix #2: Repair dripping faucets
A faucet dripping once per second wastes thousands of gallons a year. Multiply that across a couple of fixtures and it adds up to a noticeable line on your bill.
Most drips come down to a worn washer, O-ring, or cartridge — cheap parts. Tucson’s hard water wears them out faster than you’d expect, so it’s a recurring one to stay ahead of. If a faucet keeps dripping after a basic fix, we can repair or replace it and check the shut-off valve while we’re there.
Fix #3: Upgrade to efficient fixtures
Older toilets, showerheads, and faucet aerators use far more water than modern ones. Swapping in low-flow fixtures is a small upfront cost that pays back month after month.
A WaterSense-labeled showerhead or a high-efficiency toilet can cut the water used per shower or flush dramatically, with no real change in how it feels to use them. It’s one of the few upgrades that’s good for the desert and your wallet at the same time.
Bonus check
Look for hidden leaks. Read your water meter, then don’t use any water for an hour and read it again. If it moved, you likely have a hidden leak worth tracking down.
Why it matters here
Beyond the bill, conserving water is part of living responsibly in the Sonoran Desert. These three fixes are the highest-impact, lowest-effort place to start. Pair them with our summer plumbing tips for a home that’s easy on water year-round.
Want these handled in one visit? We’ll fix the running toilet, stop the drips, and swap in efficient fixtures — upfront flat-rate pricing, free estimates in our area. Call Al Coronado Plumbing at (520) 834-8400.
Frequently asked questions
How much water does a running toilet waste?
A lot — a badly leaking toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a day, and even a slow one adds up over a month. It’s usually the first thing to fix when a water bill creeps up for no obvious reason. The food-coloring test will confirm a leaking flapper in minutes.
Is a dripping faucet really worth fixing?
Yes. A single faucet dripping once per second wastes thousands of gallons a year. The parts behind it — a washer, O-ring, or cartridge — are inexpensive, so the fix pays for itself quickly, especially with Tucson’s hard water wearing parts out faster.
Do low-flow fixtures actually work as well as regular ones?
Modern WaterSense showerheads and high-efficiency toilets are designed to perform like standard fixtures while using far less water. Most people don’t notice a difference in use — only on the bill.
How do I check for a hidden water leak?
Read your water meter, avoid using any water for about an hour, then read it again. If the reading changed, water is moving somewhere it shouldn’t be. From there, a plumber with leak-detection tools can pinpoint it.