Household Plumbing Tips To check the toilets for leaks: Add a few drops of food coloring to the water in the tank. Do not flush. Wait one (1) hour to see if the colored water appears in the toilet bowl. If it does, there is a leak. Repairing the leak is normally inexpensive and easy to do. Replacement part kits are available at most hardware stores. If there appears to be no leaks inside your home, check for underground leaks: Turn off water at the house cut off. Open faucet to verify that the valve is working, the water flow should stop completely. Go outside to the meter, if meter is still running, there is a leak somewhere in your plumbing between the meter and the house.     Simple Household tips... 1.      Don't pour liquid grease down the drain. Before washing pots and pans, wipe out congealed grease with a paper towel. 2.       Once a week run hot water down the drain to help keep it free-flowing. 3.       Tubs and showers should be fitted with a strainer that catches hair and soap chips. Clean the strainer regularly. 4.       Foul odors occur from a build up of food debris inside your garbage disposer. To eliminate these odors, place ice cubes and lemon peels in the disposer and run for about 30 seconds, then rinse with cold water 5.       To prevent sewer gases from backing up into your home through your basement floor drain, periodically pour a bucket of water down the drain to keep the trap seal full. 6.       To remove unsightly mineral deposits on your shower head, put one cup of vinegar in a plastic bag and place it over the shower head. Hold it in place with a twist tie and let stand overnight. In the morning, remove the bag and the mineral deposits should come off by wiping with a damp cloth. 7.       Repair leaky faucets quickly to avoid further damage to the fixtures and faucets. 8.       Put 12 drops of green food coloring into your toilet tank to test for silent leaks. If the dye appears in the bowl, you may need to change the ball or flapper valve. The toilet is leakfree if no dye appears within 15 minutes. 9.       Do not use your toilet as a wastebasket. Do not flush items that can be placed in a trash container. 10.   Septic tanks should be inspected and pumped every three to five years to help prevent costly replacement of the filter field.