You just opened your water bill and received a shock to your system. It’s much higher than the last bill was, and you know you don’t have a water leak. There’s a hilarious video online about a cat flushing the toilet all day, which causes unbelievable high water bills for its owner. If you don’t have a cat, we here at Five Star Plumbing believe the following might be the cause.
Your Toilets
Generally, your toilets account for 25 percent of your water use inside, and if any of them are running intermittently, this will increase your water bill substantially. Listen for your toilet to run and then shut off throughout the day or night even though nobody has flushed it. If it does turn on and off, you have a faulty stopper inside the tank that needs to be replaced.
Your Faucets
Your faucets could be the culprit, too. You don’t have a leak, but you might have a water pressure problem. If you love to blast the water every time you turn it on, you’re wasting it. If your water pressure is quite high, you’re using much more water than you realize. To control the waste, you can install a pressure regulator to reduce the water amount that comes through the faucets.
Your Yard
If you just planted a new garden and have been watering more frequently, this, too, can increase your water bill. Other outdoor issues include leaking hose bibs, leaking sprinkler heads, or underground plumbing issues, including broken pipes and a failed septic system. Yes, these are leaks, but you might not notice them at first because you can’t see them.
Faulty Water Meter
The culprit could also be your water meter. If it is broken or faulty, it could return a higher water consumption than what you actually consume. If you cannot find any other source of the high water bill, contact your water municipality to schedule a meter inspection and test. If the results confirm the meter is faulty, it should be the municipality’s responsibility to replace it.
Pricing Increases
Finally, recheck your bill. Did the water company increase your rates? They’re notorious for doing so once a year, so this could also account for your increase. If none of these seem to be the issue, contact Five Star Plumbing in San Antonio, TX. We’d be happy to isolate the cause of your exorbitant water bill.
