Did your water bill just give you sticker shock? Sometimes, people receive a bill that’s significantly higher than the one from the previous month. If this has happened to you, you’ll want to find out why as soon as you can, to keep it from happening again. How do you figure this out, and more importantly, how can you lower that bill?

Familiarize yourself with your history. Is the bill really abnormally high, or is there a logical explanation for a hike in the charges? If you’ve had a lot of company, you may have just been using more water than usual. Did you recently install a water-hogging fixture, like a swimming pool? Does your family need to scale back their water usage? Is it time to update your appliances? Look at your bill from the past few cycles, and then look back at the history, to see what it was this time last year. This will help you decide whether the high bill is actually an issue.
Check the meter. If you don’t know where your meter is, you can call the water company and they’ll tell you. Once you’ve located it, look to see if it’s spinning. If it is, and no one is using the water at the moment, you probably have a leak. On the other hand, the company may have recorded the number wrong, or you may need a new meter.
Look for leaks. Sometimes, a leak is obvious: there’s water leaking from a pipe or appliance, or the toilet is running. However, sometimes a leak is elusive. If you’ve turned off all the water in your house and the meter is still running, it’s time to do some sleuthing. If you don’t hear your toilet running, put a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait 20-30 minutes. If the water in the bowl changes color, you’ve got a leak. You’ll also want to look for leaks in your water softener, water heater, and your outside irrigation. If you can’t determine the source of the leak, call a plumber for help. You may also need to call the water company and talk to their customer service department.

If you need help finding a sneaky leak, call Albert Nahman Plumbing and Heating. Passionate in the pursuit of safety, professionalism, and excellence in caring for our customers, co-workers, and community, our family-owned business has been around for 30 years, consistently delivering the customer satisfaction that’s earned us our superb reputation. A full-service plumbing company, we provide a wide range of services which include expert repairs to existing plumbing, water, gas, and sewage systems, copper piping, water main replacements, trenchless sewer replacements, and water heater installations, as well as renovation services for kitchens, baths, and laundry rooms. Contact us through our website or call (510) 876-9725 for more information on all we can do for you.