Key takeaways
- Compare the bill to the same month last year before assuming a leak; seasonal use swings a lot.
- A continuous low-flow reading at the meter with the house isolated means the buried service line.
- Irrigation mains and running toilets explain a large share of high bills and are worth ruling out first.
- Many Kitsap utilities will adjust a bill once for a documented repaired leak; ask, and keep the repair paperwork.
Start with the number
A high bill is a symptom, and the first question is how high. Pull last year's bill for the same month. A household that irrigates uses several times as much water in July as in January, and a month with houseguests or a filled hot tub moves the number too. If this month is in line with the same month last year, there may be no problem. If it is two or three times higher with no explanation, water is going somewhere it shouldn't.
Some utilities will also include a note about continuous usage, meaning the meter registered flow at every reading interval including the middle of the night. That is a strong signal of a leak.
Rule out the house
Toilets are the single most common cause of a high bill. A fill valve that doesn't fully seat or a flapper that leaks lets water run from the tank to the bowl continuously and silently, and one bad toilet can waste thousands of gallons a month. Put a few drops of food coloring in each tank and wait fifteen minutes without flushing; color in the bowl means a leak. Also check for a dripping water heater relief valve, a softener stuck in regeneration, a hose bib left cracked open, and a humidifier or ice maker line.
Rule out irrigation
A cracked irrigation mainline, a valve that sticks open, or a drip zone with a broken emitter can run constantly or every night for a whole season. If the irrigation has its own shutoff, close it and re-test the meter. If the meter calms down, the problem is on the irrigation side. Our guide to irrigation leaks covers how those get found.
The meter test
With the house and irrigation accounted for, do the meter test: everything closed, watch the low-flow indicator, then close the house main shutoff and watch again. Flow with the house isolated means the buried service line between the meter and the house is leaking. Our step-by-step guide to reading the meter walks through it.
If it's the buried line
A leak on the service line is the homeowner's responsibility on every Kitsap utility, because the utility's line ends at the meter. It will not fix itself and it will not get smaller. The right next step is an acoustic locate so the break can be pinpointed and the repair done in one place, rather than trenching the yard on a guess. A company that both locates and repairs can do it in a single visit.
Getting the bill adjusted
Many utilities in the county will make a one-time adjustment to a bill inflated by a leak that has since been repaired, usually on request and with documentation of the repair. Policies vary by utility and change over time, so ask yours directly. Keep the written description of what was found and fixed; a leak detection and repair company should provide one.
Written by the crew at 360 Leak Finders
We locate, excavate and repair buried water lines and exterior drains across Kitsap County, 24 hours a day. If this guide raised a question about your property, call (206) 354-9906.