LEAKING TOILETS COST YOU MORE THAN YOU THINK
WATRTEK PRO
Water wastage is a silent crisis unfolding right in our homes, often going unnoticed until it escalates into a noticeable issue on our bills or a visible malfunction in our toilets. Understanding the scale of water loss from toilet leaks is vital to grasp the urgency of addressing them promptly. The question isn’t just about the volume of water wasted; it’s about recognizing the hidden costs and environmental impacts of this often-overlooked problem.
A toilet leak can waste up to 10,950 gallons per year for small leaks, 91,250 gallons for medium leaks, and up to 1,095,000 gallons for large leaks.
“A toilet leak can waste up to 10,950 gallons per year for small leaks, 91,250 gallons for medium leaks, and up to 1,095,000 gallons for large leaks."
Small leaks are like the quiet troublemakers of your plumbing system. They might not make a lot of noise, but they’re there, silently contributing to a significant water wastage issue. These leaks typically lose about 30 gallons of water per day. It might not sound like a deluge, but when you tally it up, that’s 900 gallons per month and an eye-opening 10,950 gallons annually. Often caused by worn-out flappers or fill valves, these leaks are fixable with simple DIY solutions.
When a leak escalates to a medium level, it becomes more noticeable. We’re talking about 250 gallons of water wasted daily. In a month, this escalates to 7,500 gallons, and over a year, it balloons to a staggering 91,250 gallons. Causes often point to malfunctioning fill valves or overflow pipes, which might require a bit more expertise to rectify than small leaks.
Large leaks are the kind that you can’t ignore. They’re the flagrant water wasters, using up to 3,000 gallons of water each day. This translates to 90,000 gallons monthly and an alarming 1,095,000 gallons yearly. Such leaks are usually apparent due to the constant running of the toilet and often necessitate professional repairs.
Toilets are significant water users in homes, accounting for about 27% of monthly water use. When leaks enter the equation, they can add up to 13.8% of the typical water usage for a family of four. This perspective is crucial to understanding the broader impact of toilet leaks on our water consumption.
Comparing high-efficiency toilets to their less efficient counterparts sheds light on potential savings. High-efficiency models use 1.28 gallons or less per flush, while older models can use up to 5 gallons. A running toilet, particularly one with a medium leak, can squander about 57 gallons per hour, showcasing the urgency of addressing leaks promptly.
The implications of a toilet leak extend beyond just your home. They ripple out to environmental concerns, underscoring the need for timely action:
- Water Conservation: Every gallon saved contributes to the sustainability of our water resources, especially critical in drought-prone areas.
- Energy Efficiency: Treating and pumping water requires energy. By curbing leaks, we reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
- Habitat Preservation: Conserving water helps maintain the balance of aquatic ecosystems, protecting the habitats of numerous species.
In sum, the question “How much water can a toilet leak use?” is answered with stark numbers and a clear call to action. Small leaks can waste 10,950 gallons a year, medium leaks jump to 91,250 gallons, and large leaks can skyrocket to over a million gallons. These figures aren’t just digits; they represent a significant impact on our water resources, environment, and finances. Addressing toilet leaks is not a mere suggestion; it’s an imperative for conservation and financial prudence. By staying vigilant and proactive, we can mitigate these leaks, safeguarding our planet’s most precious resource and our own wallets.
What to Do?
Most landlords claim to do annual inspections and inspect toilets and test them. This is a prudent approach and was an industry must but what happens the day after the inspection? The toilet tested could fail and water is being wasted. Leaks are happening all the time an it is tough to see them in the water volumes on the bills (unless you have a massive one) as over time these leaks get built into the water profile. If you are using 500,000 gallons of water per year this will already include a stable percentage of leaking toilets. It will be hard to spot small and medium leaks.
We at Watrek have a device now that can monitor all toilets in real time for leaks. The device also can shut off the water if a major leak event is under way. It monitors the PSI and will send messages to you indicating what toilets are leaking so that staff can go and repair them thereby reducing your water consumption. The software will prioritize the leak level and batch work orders to make repairs efficient. We also have a double sealed water supply hose (for in suite dishwashers and washing machines) which also will shut the water off if a leak occurs. This is happening more and more today, as landlords who installed these in suite 10 years ago are now seeing supply hose failures.
Contact Nando Presciutti at nando@watrtek.com
RENTAL SUPPLY GROWTH
REMI
According to the latest report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Canada’s supply of purpose-built rental apartments grew by 4.1 per cent in 2024, the highest increase in over thirty years, pushing the national vacancy rate from 1.5 per cent in 2023 to 2.2 per cent last year.
Additionally, the average rent growth for a 2-bedroom apartment saw a significant slowdown in 2024, as rents rose 5.4 per cent for a 2-bedroom unit, down from a record 8 per cent in 2023. However, when a unit turned over to a new tenant, rent growth was 23.5 per cent in 2024, unchanged from 2023.
“Affordability for Canadian renters remains a challenge, particularly for new tenants who faced significant rent hikes as units turned over, limiting mobility for existing tenants and making it harder for prospective tenants to enter the market,” said Tania Bourassa-Ochoa, CMHC’s Deputy Chief Economist. “However, record growth in rental supply helped slow down average rent growth and raise vacancy rates closer to the historic average, underscoring the critical role of added supply in improving housing affordability.”
The rented condominium apartment market also remained tight in 2024. The average vacancy rate for rented condominiums in the 17 census metropolitan areas surveyed by CMHC remained at 0.9 per cent in 2024, unchanged from 2023, and down from 1.6 per cent in 2022. Average 2-bedroom rent was up to $2,173 in 2024 from $2,049 in 2023.
Toronto had the lowest rent growth among major cities at just 2.7%, down from 8.8% in 2023. This is the result of rising vacancy rates and the lowest turnover rate of the major CMAs, which declined further in 2024. With a record increase rental supply, landlords prioritized tenant retention by taking a more cautious approach to rent increases.
In Montréal, rental apartment completions remained among the highest on record, pushing vacancy rates higher, while in Vancouver, rental supply grew at a slower pace than the previous two years but still above historical rates. In both markets though, persistently high demand meant rent growth didn’t slow as much as it did in Toronto.
Rental supply grew at a record pace in 2024 due to new completions. These higher-priced additions were unaffordable to many renters and primarily served higher-income households. Because of the filtering effect they will still play an essential role in improving overall affordability over time.
Despite slower rent growth in 2024, there has been no improvement in affordability. Rent increases slightly outpaced wage growth for the 25 to 44-year-old core renter group. Rent arrears rates showed a marginal declinebut remained significantly higher than arrears rates for mortgage holders. This reflects greater difficulty among renters in coping with financial stress.
APARTMENT RENTS DROP FIRST TIME SINCE THE PANDEMIC
COSTAR - Garry Marr
Apartment rents have dropped by 3.2%, according to a national survey, a trend one of Canada's major banks expects could continue into 2025. Rentals.ca and Urbanation said asking rents dropped to $2,109 a month in December, a 17-month low for all residential property types. Rents had been on a steady incline since reaching $1,708 in December 2020.
"The rental market softened across most parts of the country last year following record-breaking growth in 2022 and 2023 and amid multi-decade highs for apartment completions, slowing population inflows, and a weakening economy," Shaun Hildebrand, president of Urbanation, wrote in a commentary. "Current trends suggest rents may experience further decreases in 2025, which so far have been focused on secondary market units."
Vancouver topped the country with an average rental rate of $2,882 per month to close out 2024, but that was still down 6% from 2023. Toronto was second at $2,632 per month, down 7% from a year ago.
Robert Kavcic, senior economist with the Bank of Montreal, said declining immigration levels into Canada could take a bite out of the rental market in 2025. The economist noted Ottawa's immigration plan implemented last year will cut annual permanent resident targets to 395,000 in 2025 and reduced to 365,000 by 2027. That's down from previously planned levels of 500,000 per year.
"Overall, Canadian population growth will run just below zero in 2025 and 2026. That would be a dramatic shift from above 3% in 2024," Kavcic said in a report. "When considering the amount of supply on the market today, and the pipeline of new investor-owned [condominiums] and purpose-built [apartment] completions still coming, it doesn’t take a wild imagination to see a world where vacancy rates rise and rents fall."
The drop would be in stark contrast to rent growth of 8.6% in 2023 and 12.1% in 2022, according to Rentals.ca. This year was the first annual rent decrease since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
"Any rent declines should be temporary and remain minimal mostly due to a long-term undersupply of rental units in the country, with rents set to accelerate in the coming years as the current slowdown in construction works to restrict supply," Hildebrand said. It should also be noted that the rents quoted above are for either new builds or newer condo product offered for rent. 90% of the apartment rental product is in the form of purpose built rentals between 30-100 years old wherein rents are generally 30-40% below rents for newer product.
THE APARTMENT GROUP
Together the team has completed over 1,500 transactions and has sold over $8.0 billion in apartments and development land. Put us to work for you and see the results. NO ONE has sold more buildings than our group. Experience, knowledge and professionalism will insure you get the right deal or the highest price if you are selling.
The Apartment Group is a dedicated team of professionals specializing in the sale of multi-residential investment properties. With over 40 years of combined experience, the team brings together their strengths including strong negotiation and sales skills along with highly technical market analysis and appraisal methods.
We are a boutique Brokerage but have the capabilities of the larger houses without the overhead. We have: an internal database of over 10,500 active apartment and land Buyers; a list of all apartment building owners in the Greater Toronto Area; our web site gets over 50,000 hits a month; we highlight properties for sale through our newsletter which reaches 10,000 investors monthly.
MITCHELL CHANG
President & Owner,
Salesperson
Direct: 416-219-0436
mchang@cfrealty.ca
LORENZO DIGIANFELICE, AACI
Broker of Record, Owner
Direct 416-417-9098
ldigianfelice@cfrealty.ca
JAKE RINGWALD
Salesperson
Direct 416-996-7713
jringwald@cfrealty.ca
