A sudden increase in the cost of your water bill should always be treated as concerning. It could be an indication of a serious plumbing issue that could cost you a lot of money if left untreated.

Below are the three most common causes for a sudden rise in the price of your water bill. 

Common Causes for Sudden Water Bill Hikes

A slow water leak in one of your appliances

Slow leaks often go unnoticed but can rack up significantly over time costing hundreds over the course of a year. Some of the most common slow water leak culprits include:

# 1 A leaking shower head

Even a slow dripping shower head can drip around 600 times an hour wasting 33 gallons of water a month. Check to see if your shower head is dripping and then tighten its connection. If it persists, then you may need a new seal or a new shower head.

# 2 A dripping tap

Dripping taps often go unnoticed and many people don’t realise quite how much water they waste.

Just one dripping tap dripping 3 times every 10 seconds can waste a gallon of water a day. If you multiply this by the number of dripping taps in your home, you could be shocked by the results.

# 3 A running toilet

A running toilet can be one of the biggest wasters of water losing over a gallon every minute. Most running toilet issues are caused by a poorly fitted flush and can be solved very easily saving you a lot of money.
 

A leak in your sprinkler system

Sprinkler systems and outdoor irrigation can corrode over time. Because these systems are outside their leaks often go unnoticed.

So you could be wasting gallons of water in your garden. Look for excessively lush or wet spots in your garden when the system is off or listen for a hissing noise. 

A leak in your water pipes

If you turn off all the water-using appliances in your house and then check your water metre, is it still spinning? If it is then you could have a leak in one of your pipes.

A water pipe leak is probably the most serious leak you can have, costing you the most money in wasted water and costing the most to fix. If you aren’t sure where your water meter is or can’t tell if you have a severe leak then use a water leak detection service. 

A change in occupancy

Sometimes the sudden rise in your water bill is nothing sinister at all. It’s simply down to a change in the number of people using water in your home. Have you been hosting guests? Have your children come home for the summer? Have you got a new large pet or have you been filling a swimming pool or pond?

If you can’t find a leak and your water bill is still high then this is the likely cause. Your bill should return to normal as your usage drops back down to normal. If your high water bills persist then call a professional to carry out more thorough checks.