Leak Detection
Track down hidden water loss using listening gear and thermal imaging, so only a small patch gets opened.
Plumbing guide
Water Bill Too High in Peoria, AZ? Eight Likely Causes
A bill that jumps without a reason is a prompt to look for a leak or a change in how water is being used. Here are eight common causes, with a way to check each one.
By the Peoria Express Plumbing team ·
1. A toilet that runs or leaks
A leaking toilet can waste water around the clock. The flapper may not seal, or the fill valve may keep topping off the tank. Listen for a faint hiss and watch for ripples in the bowl.
Start with dye in the tank. Add a few drops of food coloring, hold off flushing and look at the bowl in fifteen minutes. Any color there means a leak, and it is the most frequent and cheapest fix on this list.
2. Irrigation that runs too long or leaks
Landscape watering often accounts for a large share of a household's use, especially in summer. A timer set too long, a valve stuck open or a broken head can use thousands of gallons.
Run each zone manually and look for geysers, soggy spots or water running down the street. A valve that does not close fully may leave a zone trickling all night.
3. A leaking pool or spa
A pool can lose water to a leak as well as to evaporation. The bucket test separates the two, and a fast-dropping level or constant autofill suggests a leak. Read pool leak detection and repair for more.
If the pool has an automatic filler, check how often it runs. A filler that opens frequently is a clue.
4. A hidden supply leak
Pipe under a slab, inside a wall or buried in the yard can leak without any sign at the surface. The meter test, with everything off, tells you whether water is moving.
If the meter turns, the leak is somewhere on your side of it. A plumber can locate it using acoustic and thermal tools. See leak detection.
5. A leaking water heater or softener
A tank that weeps from a connection or the relief valve adds to the bill, and a softener that cycles constantly sends water down the drain. Check the drain line and the floor around both.
A softener that regenerates too often or fails to stop can use a large amount of water over a month.
High bill suspects and first checks
Find the clue that fits your house, then run the check next to it.
| Suspect | Clue | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Toilet flapper | Silent constant leakage | Dye in the tank |
| Sprinklers and drip lines | Long run times, a stuck valve, broken heads | Watch a full cycle |
| Concealed wall or floor leak | Stains, soft drywall, musty air | Meter test, then a leak search |
| Yard line to the house | Soggy ground or lower pressure | Close the main, then see whether the meter still moves |
| Slab leak | A warm floor spot, or water sounds with nothing running | Meter test and a quiet listen |
| Water heater | Wet base or a dripping relief line | Inspect around the tank |
| Pool fill valve | Water level keeps rising or the valve hisses | Bucket test |
| More use than usual | Visitors, filling a pool, hot weather | Compare with recent weeks |
6. An evaporative cooler or a humidifier
Any appliance that adds water to the air can use a lot of it. An evaporative cooler with a stuck float or a failed shutoff will run water through the pad and down the drain.
Check the float, the supply line and the drain. If you are not sure the appliance is working correctly, turn off its water and watch the meter.
7. More people, a longer season or guests
Houseguests, a newborn, kids home all summer or a shift in laundry habits can each lift a bill. Set it against the same month last year before you suspect a leak.
If the household and its habits did not change, look for a cause in the earlier items on this list.
8. A billing change or an estimated reading
Sometimes the bill changes because of a rate increase or a misread meter. Compare the reading on the bill with the number on the meter.
Call your water provider if the bill is far from what you expect. They can check the meter and the read history.
Read the bill closely
Look at gallons used month by month, not only the dollar total. A slow steady rise hints at a seeping leak, while a sudden spike hints at a break, a stuck valve or a new routine.
Look for fixed charges and rate changes too. A utility can change rates without any change in your use.
What to do next
Run the meter test and check toilets with dye. If both are clear, a hidden leak or the yard are the next suspects. The leak detection page covers the next step.
Ask the utility whether it offers a leak adjustment. Some providers do, and your documents may help.
Keep a simple log
Record the meter reading on the same day each week. A log shows when use jumped and helps you connect a spike to an event.
Share your log with a plumber or the utility.
Where the figures come from
The EPA WaterSense, Fix a Leak Week page puts average household leak losses above 9,300 gallons a year. The EPA WaterSense, Residential Toilets page adds that leaks can waste 180 gallons a week and that toilets are often the cause, most often through an old or worn flapper.
Common questions
High water bill questions
Do the meter test with everything off, and check the toilets with food coloring. Those two steps catch most causes.
Yes. A long run time, a stuck valve or a broken head can use a great deal of water.
Many providers will check the meter or compare the read history. Call them and ask what they offer.
Related services
Pool Leak Detection & Repair
Work out whether a pool or spa is leaking or just evaporating, then locate the loss.
Toilet Repair & Installation
Cure a running, leaking or clogged toilet, or arrange a new toilet or bidet seat.
More plumbing guides
How to find a hidden water leak
Begin at the water meter and work inward through a few checks until the hidden leak is narrowed to a room or a pipe.
Running toilet: how to fix it
A toilet that never quite stops filling burns through water all day. Track down the part at fault and swap it.
Pool leak bucket test, step by step
One bucket and two marks tell you whether a pool is leaking or just losing water to the sun. Run it and read the outcome.
Bill still too high?
Phone the line if the checks above do not explain the jump. Someone on the line can hand you to a contractor who finds hidden leaks.