How to Check the Gallons Per Minute (GPM) Water Flow Rate in a Home

It's easy to test the water flow rate of the faucets in your home.

If you want to figure out how you and your family can conserve water in your home, conducting a water audit is the first step. This tells you how much water is being used and where. Part of this audit is checking the water flow rate for every source of water in your home.

Things You'll Need

• Bucket
• Watch with second hand
• Quart jar

Instructions

1. Place a bucket underneath the faucet you want to check. Turn the water on as high as it will go.

2. Run the water into the bucket for 10 seconds. Shut off the water and then measure the amount of water in the bucket with a quart jar.

3. Multiply the amount of water you collected (the number of quarts) by 6. For example, if you have 2 quarts of water, multiply that by 6 to get 12 quarts. Divide 12 by 4 because there are 4 quarts in a gallon. The resulting number is 3. That means the gallons per minute (GPM) water flow rate for that faucet is 3.

Tips & Warnings

• If a bucket won't fit under the faucet you want to test, use another type of container. Make sure it's large enough to hold the total amount of water.

• You can use this method to check the water flow rate for faucets, shower heads and garden hoses.

References

• New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services: Performing a Domestic Water Use and Conservation Audit
• Maryland Department of the Environment: Conducting a Household Water Audit