Why has my water bill gone up?
There could be several factors at play. Check your monthly city utility bill. If you notice a substantial raise in your water usage, there may be a leak somewhere.
Some common causes of high water bills include:
- A leaking toilet, or a toilet that continues to run after being flushed, most common
- A dripping faucet; a faucet drip can waster 20 gallons or more of water a day
- Filling or topping off a swimming pool
- Watering the lawn, new grass, or trees; also check for an open hose bib
- Irrigation systems, check automated systems, you may need to reprogram
- Kids home for summer vacations or school holidays; guests
- Water-cooled air conditioners
- A broken water pipe or obvious leak; check the pipes and water heater in the basement or crawlspace
- Water softener problems - cycles continuously
- Running the water to avoid freezing water pipes during cold weather
- Service line leaks between your water meter and your home, check for wet spots in your yard. As service lines and fittings age, they can develop pin holes that gradually get larger over time, allowing larger volumes of water to leak into surrounding soil.
Generally, water consumption is higher during the summer due to watering of lawns, pools, and gardening. Typically, an average family of four uses 4000-5000 gallons of water a month.