Few household surprises sting like a water bill that's doubled for no apparent reason. Before you blame the city or the rate schedule, work through the actual causes — in order of likelihood. Hidden l…
Few household surprises sting like a water bill that's doubled for no apparent reason. Before you blame the city or the rate schedule, work through the actual causes — in order of likelihood. Hidden leaks top the list, and they're findable.
Do the meter test: everything off, watch the flow indicator for 10–20 minutes. Movement means a leak — full stop. No movement means your usage genuinely increased, and the hunt moves to toilets, irrigation, and behavior.
Running toilets are the most common non-leak cause — a flapper that doesn't seal can waste hundreds of gallons a day silently. Next: irrigation zones stuck on or broken heads (especially after mowing season starts), a pool auto-fill compensating for a leak, and houseguests or new routines. Rule these out before assuming the worst.
If the meter moves with everything off, you're looking at a slab leak, a service-line leak, or a wall-line leak. Shut the house main valve: meter stops = inside the house; meter runs = the service line from the meter to your home. Either way, that's a detection job — the leak needs pinpointing before anyone digs or opens walls.
Sandy City reads meters on cycle, so compare against the same month last year rather than last month. And remember: the service line from the meter vault to your home is your responsibility — a leak there bills you for every gallon until it's found.
Roughly 20%+ over the same month last year with no lifestyle change is the threshold worth investigating. Smaller moves are usually seasonal.
They can confirm unusual usage from their reads, but they can't locate the leak — that's a detection specialist's job.
Absolutely — a silently running toilet is one of the largest residential water wasters there is. Check toilets first; it's a five-minute test.
Don't wait for the damage to announce itself. Call now — we're open 24/7 — or request an inspection online and we'll respond promptly.