Why Is My Water Bill so High?

Your water bill could be unusually high for a few reasons, like:

• Recent Changes in Water Use
• A Fixture That’s Dripping or Running
• A Water-Based Appliance That’s Leaking
• A Water Line That’s Leaking

Below, we’ll walk you through each issue in more detail, and let you know how to check to determine what your issue is.

Need a plumber ASAP? Call us or schedule an appointment online. One of our plumbers will diagnose the issue to find out why your water bill is so high.

Reason #1: Changes in Water Use

This might sound like an obvious suggestion, but a small change in your water usage—even if the usage only lasts a few days—can have a big impact on your water bill.

How to Tell if That’s the Issue

Activities that could easily increase last month’s water bill include:

• Having guests stay at your home.
• Watering new grass or landscaping.
• Installing a new or larger water-consuming appliance (water softener, water heater expansion tank, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.)
• Seasonal water usage, like filling up or topping off a pool.

If you haven’t done any of the above, but have noticed your water bill steadily increasing over that past several months, you likely have an issue with some part of your plumbing.

Reason #2: Dripping or Running Fixture

A running toilet or dripping faucet is money down the drain—literally.

According to the USGS drip calculator, 2 faucets that drip 3 times a minute can waste up to 2 liters of water a day.

And depending on the water pressure, a running toilet (indicating a leaky flapper) can leak over a gallon of water every 30 seconds—wasting anywhere from 25 to over 4,000 gallons of water in a single day.

How to Tell if It’s the Issue

A running toilet or leaking fixture isn’t always obvious, but a closer look at the faucet, showerhead, or toilet should let you know if it’s not working properly:

• Faucets or shower heads will continue to drip water after turning off the handle.
• Toilets will often make some kind of noise (of running water or a hissing sound) if the flapper in the tank has a leak. If you think you have a silent leak, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the tank (not the bowl). Wait 25–30 minutes. If the color seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak.

If one of your fixtures is leaking, you can try to fix the leak yourself. However, if the leak is extensive or hard to locate, you will probably need to enlist the help of a professional.

Reason #3: Appliance Leak

Water-based appliances have seals that prevent water from going where it shouldn’t—outside of the appliance. Over time, those seals become loose or break down, resulting in a leak that can increase your water bill.

How to Tell if It’s the Issue

Inspect your water-consuming appliances while they’re running. Check the following appliances:

• Refrigerator (Inspect the Ice Maker and Water Dispenser, if You Have Them)
• Dishwasher
• Washing Machine
• Water Heater (Unfortunately, if the Tank Is Leaking, You’ll Likely Need to Replace Your Water Heater)

If you notice water leaking from any part of the appliance, that could be a sign that the appliance has a bad seal somewhere. You’ll probably need to reach out to a plumber to come diagnose the issue and replace the seal if necessary.

Reason #4: Water Line Leak

Sometimes, a water supply line, irrigation pipe, or other underground pipe can leak undetected, causing your water bill to spike unexpectedly.

How to Tell if It’s the Issue

If a water supply or irrigation line is leaking, you may notice water pooling on your lawn, but that doesn’t happen with small, slow leaks.

To check if you have a water line leak, you’ll want to check if your water meter—which measures how much water is delivered to your property—is running when you’re not using water anywhere else.

To check your water meter for a water supply or irrigation line leak:

1. Turn off all fixtures, water-consuming appliances, and irrigation systems. This ensures nothing in your home is using water, so you can accurately determine if you have a leak in an irrigation or water supply line.
2. Locate your home’s water meter. This is normally located outside, either near the curb or sidewalk with a plastic or metal cover. You may need a screwdriver or other long, thin tool to remove the lid.
3. Determine if water is flowing through the meter. You’ll have 1 of 2 types of water meters: analog or digital. On analog meters, the sweep hand (similar to a clock hand) or flow indicator (a tiny triangle or gear) will move if you have a continuous leak. On digital meters, the flow rate screen will increase if you have a leak.
4. If needed, check for slow leaks. Sometimes, the leak will be so small it won’t be immediately detectable on the meter. If your meter isn’t detecting water flowing through it, take note of the numbers on your meter register and check them again in 20 minutes, making sure not to run any water in your home. If the numbers increased, you likely have a water line leak.

Since it can be difficult to tell where the leak is coming from, you’ll want to have a plumber perform a leak detection. This allows the plumber to pinpoint the leak’s exact location, so they can efficiently repair it.

Need a Plumber to Investigate? Call a Tampa Plumber

Contact us 24/7 online or call us. We’ll send one of our plumbers to thoroughly inspect your plumbing and diagnose the issue, so we can get your water bills back to normal.