Return on Investment
Rethinking the “Why” Behind the “How Much”
How water loss is the real driver in ROI
- Every Toilet is Going to Leak…It’s only a Matter of Time
- Undetected Running Toilets are the #1 Cause of a High Water Bill…
…and, Running Toilets are Almost Always Repeat Offenders Repeat Offenders Repeat Offenders… - Water Quality is a Major Factor in Determining How Quickly a Flapper or Fill Valve will Degrade and Fail
- Maintenance Can Fix a Problem, If They Know When There is One
Stop defining water loss solely as leaking and running toilets! Get a handle on the costs determining your ROI by examining “the why” behind the “how much”. Knowing “the why” leads to the optimal (most cost effective) solution for the problem.
Change your thinking to “the why” and away from the “how much”.
Water Myths
- Changing flappers every year saves water and money.
- Water is cheap.
- Universal flappers work with any toilet.
- Dye tablets are an effective leak detection tool.
A New Way To Think About “The Why”
The issue is not whether toilets leak, run, or overflow, it’s not even how much water is wasted when they do;
but rather, it’s the underlying factors that lead to these problems and what you can do to change how you
think about them. The key to remember is it’s the combination and interaction of all the factors that need to
be evaluated to determine the extent of your potential water loss.
Water Loss from leaking and Wide-open Flappers is the result, not the problem.
The problem is undetected leaking and wide-open flappers,
caused by the factors, which, leads to a high water bill.
How you think about, solve, and account for the problem drives the cost in your ROI.
Cost:
Unexpected High Water Bills
Cost:
Increased Material Cost – Increased Labor – Increase Tenant Inconenience
Know when you have a leaking/running toilet.
Old Thinking
New Thinking
Examples of how other Property Managers handled their problem.
In each example we start with a property with 200 two-bath units and 100 single-bath units for a total of 500 toilets. To compare the effect of the increased water used, the total cost of water ( water + wastewater) used in all the examples is the National Average of $13.48/ 1000 gallons. (Note: the actual location cost varies and may be higher or lower than the actual cost in the specific example location)
Example 1: San Antonio, TX
Assumptions
- The Property Manager elects to change flappers on an as-needed basis(needed due to complaints from the tenants, high water, etc.) When the flappers are changed the PM uses an inexpensive adjustable flapper and has maintence install the flapper with whatever setting it’s on when it comes out of the package (this saves install time). Finally, to save money upfront, the PM purchases inexpensive “knock-off” fill valves, again only replacing them when needed. The PM is not aware of the age of any of the flappers, fill valves, or frankly the age/condition of the toilets. San Antonio is an Urban environment and the water is considered Very Hard.
Results
- The expected range of monthly water loss is between 432,000 – 302,000 gallons per month, with an increased water cost of $5800-$4100 monthly.
Example 2: Bridgeport, CT
Assumptions
- The Property Manager in this example chooses to be very proactive in water conservation efforts. (S)he has elected to establish a maintence schedule of replacing all the flappers and fill-valves annually with high-quality OEM flappers and top of the line fill valves. The PM knows that the toilets were all purchased after the 1992 requirement of using 1.68 gpf toilets. The property is located in a Suburban environment of Columbia where the water quality is considered Soft.
Results
- The expected range of monthly water loss is between 55,000 – 14,000 gallons per month, with an increased water cost of $700-$200 monthly.
Example 3: Columbia, SC
Assumptions
- The Property Manager in this example takes a more proactive role in addressing water use. (S)he has elected to establish a maintence schedule of replacing all the flappers and fill-valves on a regular five (5) year schedule to balance water savings with up-front material/labor costs. To reduce initial cost however, universal flappers and inexpensive imported fill valves are purchased. The PM knows that the toilets were all purchased after the 1992 requirement of using 1.68 gpf toilets. Bridgeport is an Urban environment with Moderately Hard water quality.
Results
- The expected range of monthly water loss is between 209,000 – 122,000 gallons per month, with an increased water cost of $2800-$1600 monthly.
Stages of Implementation
We are often asked by property managers, “So, the LeakAlertor looks like the right solution to my problem, but what’s the cost and where do we go from here?” Most property managers follow these three stages of implementation to test and evaluate the LeakAlertor as the solution to their problem.
Stage 1 Initial Consideration
- Determine how many people on your team will have input into the purchase (finance, maintence, ownership, etc.).
- Purchase one unit for each team member, install the units using the Evaluator’s Guide and User’s Guide for support. (but you can always contact us with questions).
- ETA to Completion: 1-5 days from receipt of units.
(Also available on Amazon)- Have Questions? Contact Us.
Stage 2 Field Test
- Determine how you will field test the unit; i.e. 1 building, 1 property, A-B test on a single or
multiple property, etc. - ETA to Completion: 1 Full Billing Cycle (1-3 months depending on when units are installed)
- Contact Us for Quantity Pricing or any questions.
Stage 3 Full Rollout
- Contact Us to arrange logistics and drop ship schedule to your property(ies).
- ETA to Completion: TBD