If your water bill seems to be too high or continues to go up, there are several easy steps you can take to isolate what may be causing this.  Some questions to ask include:

• Has a toilet been running?

• Have I been watering my grass?

• Have I been washing my cars at home?

DO YOU HAVE A LEAK?  WAYS TO CHECK:

 

          At night take a reading from the meter after all water use is over for the day.  Check the meter reading first thing in the morning before using any water.  If the reading has gone up, water has gone through your meter and you have a leak somewhere.

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        The following evening find the water shut-off valve inside your house and turn it off before going to bed, also take a meter reading that night. Read the water meter again the following morning before using any water.  If any water has gone through your meter then the leak is between the meter and your house.

 

IF THE METER HAS SHOWN WATER USAGE, CHECK STOOLS AND OTHER WATER USERS IN THE HOME.

 

To check a stool:

 

• Add dye (food coloring works well) to back of toilet tank.  After 30 minutes check water in bowl to see if color has leaked into it.  If so, your ball cock is leaking.

• Remove lid from back of stool.  Pull the small line that goes into the pipe that is above the water.  If any water is dripping or running, the flush unit is leaking.  While the lid is off, check the level of the water.  This should be 1/2 to 1 inch from the top of the pipe.  If not, your flush unit is set too high.

 

Hot Water Tanks:

 

• If there is any water dripping from pop off valve, have qualified plumber replace it with a new one.

 

Home Humidifier:

 

• Is the water setting too high?

• Is it discharging into the drain?  Have a qualified person set it for you.

 

Ice Makers:

 

• Are there any leaks around connections going to the icemaker?

 

Showers:

 

• Depending on the size of your showerhead, it should use 2-7 gallons per minute.

 

Keeping track of amount of water each house uses:

• Read meter before and after you run a load of laundry.  An average load uses 55-75 gallons.

• Dishwashers should average 20-35 gallons per use.

• Stools should average 5-9 gallons per flush.