Every household uses water almost every day because water is an essential part of life. Almost every house owner has had a time when water bill came as a shock. Keeping track of water bills before months before and regularly inspecting the house can help prevent increased water bill. This is because you will not only be aware of your previous months water bills, but you would also be able to fix any leakage that might increase the bill. Weather can also contribute to water bill. Water bill are usually more during the summer if you have a yard to water frequently, car to wash or filling of the summing pool. Most of us try to conserve water wherever possible. It’s both good for the environment and good for your wallet. However, your water bill may suddenly increase. Here are 10 reasons for an increasing in water bill.
Table of Contents
10 Causes Of Increasing Water Bill
In no particular order we will be discussing 10 likely causes of high-water bills as follows:
1. Leakage Of Drain Lines
For a number of reasons, drainpipes can develop leaks. The pipe connections may become loose, the age of the pipes may cause cracks, and so forth. If the pipe is accessible beneath the sink and has a leak, it can be quickly fixed by adding a new section of drainpipe.
Leaks and even spontaneous bursts are possible if your pipes are too long or too short. Ill-fitting drainpipes generate pressure, which can lead to leakage and water damage if not addressed.
In this case, the best thing to do is to contact a professional plumber and have them inspect the plumbing structure of your sink.
2. New Appliances
After buying a new appliance or setting up new equipment, you may occasionally experience an unexpected increasing water bill. The most obvious source of water use is in washing machines.
You might not be aware of some other appliances, such as a brand-new freezer. Water may be used more during the installation of equipment like a new water heater or sprinkler system. Modern appliances are typically more effective.
However, if you want to save money on water and electricity, look for high efficiency equipment.
3. Irrigation System Leakage
A line crack or loose joint could allow water to leak even when the irrigation system is turned off if your landscaping uses an irrigation system.
Particularly if the irrigation system’s lines are buried underground and hidden from view, finding these leaks can be challenging. Check your lawn for areas of unusually moist grass or areas where the grass is lusher than the rest of the lawn to find these leaks.
However, keep in mind that these leaky pipe symptoms are comparable to lateral line leak symptoms. You might need to hire a professional plumber to locate the leak and repair or replace the damaged irrigation lines in order to fix this kind of leak.
4. Leakage Of Water Heater
Water heater leaks from the bottom are either insignificant or necessitate replacement. These water heater leaks are either brought on by the drain valve or the tank itself. Normally, drain valves need to be tightened, but if the tank is leaking, the entire thing needs to be replaced.
Your water bill will go up if your water heater leaks. Most people don’t think to check their water heater, when they notice their water usage has increased month after month. Look for signs of leaks around the base of tank-type water heaters.
The drain pan beneath the heater may show signs of dampness and water, ranging from standing water if the drain is clogged to water droplets if the water is correctly draining down the overflow drain. Rust at the heater’s base could also indicate a slow leak.
These upgrades cost money, but they are required.
5. Hidden Water Leaks
The most common cause of a sudden increase in water bills is hidden leaks. The longer the leaks go unnoticed, the higher your water bill will be.
The worst part is that water leaks encourage mold growth, rot, and other potential home damage. These issues are hazardous to your family’s health and can reduce the resale value of your home.
Examine the areas of your home that you don’t frequent. These include areas such as under your sink, near outdoor plumbing fixtures, the basement, and others. Make it a habit to check these areas on a regular basis so that leaks do not go unnoticed for long.
6. Habits Of Water Wastage
Changes to your water usage habits may seem beneficial at first, but they may end up being detrimental. For instance, hand washing dishes uses more water than running the dishwasher.
Another error that raises water bills is switching from a front-load washing machine to a top-load one because the latter uses two to three times as much water per load of laundry.
Running the dishwasher when it is not full and washing partial loads of laundry are two other bad habits that contribute to wastewater. If you want to conserve water, it is preferable to wait until you have a full load of laundry and a full dishwasher. By reducing these bad water-wasting habits, you can significantly reduce your water bill.
Other bad habits are:
- Keep the faucet running as you shave or brush your teeth.
- taking excessively long showers or showers that are not necessary.
- maintaining a running water supply to thaw frozen meats.
- While washing the dishes, the water is running.
- excessive lawn watering and unrestricted use of water-operated recreational toys and equipment
- not using the washing machine until there are full loads of laundry. A waste of water is doing half or quarter loads.
7. Leakage Of Toilets
A toilet leak can occur for many different reasons. The most frequent ones involve loose bolts, piping and valve alignment issues, and wax ring improper seals. Where water is leaking should be obvious at a glance.
About 1.6 gallons are used per flush when a toilet is in good condition. All that flushing consumes more than 25% of a household’s indoor water use in a month. Between 30 and 200 gallons per day could be lost if a toilet leaks, which is far more than the 82 gallons per day used by the average American.Â
8. Leakage Of Faucets And Fixtures
Broken washers are a frequent reason for a leaking faucet. Washers press up against the valve seat, where they may eventually become worn out as a result of friction. This ultimately causes leaking. A washer’s incorrect size or improper installation can also cause it to leak.
Continual use causes fixtures and faucets to deteriorate. There are moving parts such as washers, seals, and others inside that could eventually result in leaks. Water dripping into the sink, tub, or shower is one of the most typical leaks.
The internal hardware on the fixture can be changed, or a brand-new fixture can be put in place, to quickly fix this leak. When the plumbing lines that connect to the fixture are the source of the leak, this is another type of faucet leak.
Check to make sure there isn’t a leak where the hot and cold-water lines attach to the faucet if you see water underneath a kitchen or bathroom sink. If so, tighten it to see if that resolves the issue.
9. Old Plumbing Fittings
Water is wasted by old fittings. That is a proven fact. The EPA encourages consumers to replace old fittings with Water-Sense certified models:
- Every time you shower, replacing your old showerhead can save you 4 gallons of water.
- It is possible to save 700 gallons of water per year by replacing faucets and aerators.
- Water efficiency can be increased by 30% by installing water-saving faucets and/or aerators on existing bathroom fixtures.
- Replacing inefficient irrigation clock controllers with efficient irrigation controllers can save you up to 15,000 gallons of water per year.
10. Â Guests And Additions To The Family
You might experience increasing water bill if there are more occupants (or even pets) in the house. The additional bathing, laundry, and dishes that come with having guests stay for more than a day or two can add up quickly.
Your water usage may go up if you get a new pet because you’ll be filling up water bowls more frequently, giving your pet baths, and doing more laundry.
You might use a lot more water if you’ve recently expanded your family or if your infant has grown into a toddler. Laundry loads will increase dramatically, and frequently filling a tub for bath time can use a lot of water. Additionally, washing dishes for kids and baby bottles can use more water.
Do-It-Yourself Toilet Assessment
Now that we have discussed some of the reasons for increasing water bill, let’s see how you can do toilet assessments by yourself.
First, look for the most common leak: a deteriorated or defective flush valve (flapper) ball at the toilet tank’s bottom. Water will leak into the toilet bowl if it does not form a tight seal. To check for this, do the following:
- Remove the lid from the tank behind the toilet, flush it, and then wait for it to fully refill.
- Fill the tank with a few drops of food colouring or a coloured dye tablet (available at Town Hall).
- Wait at least 20 minutes; longer if a small leak is suspected.
- There is a leak if there is any colour in the toilet bowl.
The second most common type of leak is caused by a misaligned or broken fill (ballcock) valve. Remove the lid from the toilet tank, flush, and observe whether water is draining into the overflow tubes when the tank is full.
Conclusion
There are many reasons for increasing water bill, some of which we will never know. Before they are found, leaks can waste hundreds of gallons of water.
And just like the water infrastructure in the United States, water-related equipment such as appliances, fixtures, and various household fittings ages and wears out. When something costs us money unnecessarily—in the form of high-water bills—we need to maintain, fix, and replace it.
You can significantly lower your water bill and increase resource efficiency by trying to cut down on water-wasting habits.
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