Utility bills are part of our monthly routine. We receive the bill, glance at it, pay it. It’s just one of those bills we have to pay – it’s just a necessity in our homes. All of a sudden one month you receive an outrageous water bill! Maybe not outrageous, but definitely higher than your normal amount. How could this have happened?
There are a couple of things that can cause your water bill to start heading in the wrong direction. Typically, an average family of four uses about 4000-5000 gallons of water a month. In the summer it can be higher due to watering of lawns, filling pools, and other summer-time activities. However, there could be other culprits.
Here are two of the most common causes of a high water bill:
A leaky toilet or one that continues to run after being flushed.
This is the most common reason for a high water bill. This issue alone can waste 1000-4000 gallons of water per day and could increase your bill by hundreds or even thousands. Investigating this is simple and should be repaired immediately if it is indeed leaking.
To figure out if your toilet is leaking:
- Simply wait 10-20 minutes after the last flush.
- Take the lid off of the toilet tank and drop some food coloring in or a dye tab (available at hardware stores)
- Wait for about 30 minutes.
- Check the water in the toilet bowl. If there is any dye in the bowl water, you have a leak!
A service line leak.
Other leaks can often be harder to detect. A leak under your house or in the service line are some of those hard to detect leaks. You can check your yard, crawl space, or outdoor spigots for wet spots that can possibly indicate a service line leak. Other ways to detect this type of leak include: a loss of water pressure and the sound of water running or hissing sound coming from your main shut off valve when water is not being used in your home.
Other common areas leaks can occur are faucets, hot water heaters, in-line humidifiers, and irrigation systems. If you can’t explain your high water bill due to changes in usage, call an experienced plumber to check for leaks or other issues. Need A Plumber, Inc. has experienced plumbers ready to prevent your next water bill from rising any higher.
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