5 Possible Reasons for Your Unusually High Water Bills

An unusually high water bill can make a huge dent in your monthly budget, and nobody wants to pay more than you need to. How do you find out the cause of the sudden spike in your water bill, and how can you avoid it in the future? That's what Anta Plumbing's expert Toronto master plumbers discuss in today's post.

High Water Bills Examined

Most municipalities work according to water usage tiers, and when you experience a sudden spike, it could be that you have moved into the next tier, where you are charged a higher unit price for the water used.

Another common reason for a higher-than-usual water bill could be that you simply used more water than usual. While service charges don't usually change throughout the year, the use charge is generally based on the amount of water used over the billing period.

Reasons for Increased Water Bills

Sometimes, your water use increases without you realizing it, and the reasons could include.

1. Seasonal changes in water consumption

In warmer months, we tend to water lawns and gardens more regularly, run air conditioners, shower more often and fill the pool on a regular basis.

It is important to measure like for like, so compare your water bill to the same time of the year. If you had a lot of rainfall during one season, you may find that you water your garden more frequently the next season to compensate.

2. Reticulation guzzles water

During summer, homeowners run their irrigation systems. Reticulation use up to 130 litres of water per minute. If you have 4 pop-up sprinklers running for 10 minutes, twice a week, you will use about 5,200 litres of water.

You can reduce water usage to 2 minutes per station, twice a week and realize significant savings. Also, MP rotators are much more efficient. Consider installing irrigation controller manuals and setting your irrigation controller to suit the weather conditions.

Irrigation leaks, such as broken sprinkler heads, can waste up to 40 litres of water per minute.

Did you add a new lawn or garden? Watering that while it is being established, will add to your water bill.

3. Plumbing leaks add to your water bill

Water-using appliances, hot water systems, toilets, faucets and garden irrigation systems can all develop leaks or bursts, resulting in unusually high water bills.

4. Increased household size = increased water bill

It's only natural that having more people in the home will result in increased water demand. If you've recently had house guests, or if more people had moved in with you, your water bill will naturally increase.

5. New appliances use more water

If you have recently installed new shower heads, faucets, irrigation systems, evaporative air-conditioners, a washing machine or a dishwasher, your water use will have increased.

If you're unsure as to what is causing the increase in your water bills, it may help to call Anta Plumbing. Our expert Toronto master plumbers are trained and experienced in troubleshooting all types of plumbing issues. It is quite possible that you have an underground leak, which is hard to detect without the right equipment.