Why Is My Water Bill Suddenly High? What to Check Before You Call

If your water bill jumped and nothing about how you use water has changed, there is a good chance water is going somewhere you can’t see. A running toilet, a dripping fixture, an irrigation leak, or a leak in a hidden pipe can all do it. You can narrow it down at home with a few safe checks. If your meter shows water moving when everything is off and you can’t find the cause, that’s when a plumber should find it for you.

Start with the bill itself

Before you look for a leak, look at the bill. Compare the gallons used, not just the dollar amount. Check how many days the billing period covered and compare it with the same month last year if you have it.

Then think about what changed. House guests, a pool top-off, a new irrigation schedule, or a long stretch of dry weather can all raise use for a month. If none of that applies, move on to the meter.

Do a two-hour meter test

The EPA’s WaterSense program suggests a simple test. Turn off every faucet and water-using appliance. Read your water meter, wait two hours without using any water, and read it again. The EPA says that if the meter changes at all, you probably have a leak. See the EPA’s leak-checking tips.

If the meter does not move, that only tells you no water moved during those two hours. An intermittent leak or an irrigation cycle could still explain earlier use. Check the billing period and rates, and ask your water utility whether the bill used an estimated or actual reading. If the higher use continues without an explanation, arrange a leak assessment.

A few things make the test more reliable:

• Make sure nothing runs on its own during the test, such as an irrigation timer, an ice maker, or a water softener.
• Write down both readings and the times you took them.
• Your meter is usually in a ground box near the street. If the lid is stuck, the box is full of water, or you’d have to force anything to see the dial, stop there and let us check it.

Check the toilets

Toilets are easy to rule in or out. The EPA suggests putting a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank. If color shows up in the bowl after 10 minutes, the toilet is leaking. Flush right after the test to avoid staining. Do this for every toilet in the house, including ones in a guest bathroom that rarely gets used.

A toilet that runs or refills on its own between uses is also worth mentioning when you call.

Look and listen for the easy ones

Walk the house and look for water where it shouldn’t be:

• Under kitchen and bathroom sinks
• Around the base of the water heater
• Behind the washing machine
• At outdoor hose bibbs
• Around faucets and showerheads that drip after they’re turned off

Small drips add up. The EPA says a faucet dripping once per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons a year.

If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, check it too. The EPA recommends inspecting irrigation for damage and notes that a leak 1/32 of an inch across can waste about 6,300 gallons a month. Soggy patches of lawn, or a wet spot between the meter and the house on a dry day, are worth noting.

When the meter moves and you can’t find the leak

If the meter moves with everything off and the checks above don’t explain it, the leak is likely hidden. It could be inside a wall or ceiling, behind cabinets, under the floor, or in the underground line between the meter and the house.

This is where guessing gets expensive. Water often shows up somewhere other than where the pipe is leaking. Opening the wrong wall or digging in the wrong spot costs time and money.

When we come out for a suspected leak, our technician first confirms there really is a leak before anything gets opened. Then the leak is located as precisely as the situation allows, so any opening is as small as possible. You get the repair options and what each involves before work starts. Learn more about our leak detection and repair service.

Please don’t dig around your meter or service line yourself. It’s easy to damage the line, and other utilities may be buried nearby.

What to have ready when you call

These notes help us start in the right place:

• The last two or three bills, or at least the usage numbers
• Your meter readings and the times you took them
• Which toilets, if any, failed the dye test
• Any damp spots, stains, sounds of running water, or soggy areas in the yard

If water is actively spreading or damaging the house, shut off the main water valve if you can reach it safely, and call. For a slow leak, ask the office whether to leave the water on for diagnosis. Don’t leave it running if it could cause damage.

Our service call is $59, and it is waived when you go ahead with the repair.

To have us track down the source, call (239) 542-0787 or contact Tropical.

Author: Tropical Plumbing Co.. Qualified review: Nathan Lowmaster, owner, Florida Certified Plumbing Contractor CFC1431517.