What Causes A Sudden Spike In Your Water Bill? A Plumbing Service Can Help | San Antonio, TX
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With the water service charges on a high in San Antonio, TX, even a slight increase in your bills causes you to worry. An average household in the city expects a water bill of around $72.38 as per SAWS. A significant portion of this amount results from wasted water. Some hidden leaks and undisclosed damages in your plumbing lines may escalate the bills further.
The best way to diagnose such problems is to call an expert plumbing service for a detailed inspection of your plumbing lines and appliances. Here is a roundup of causes leading to inflated water bills with potential solutions.
Leaky Fixtures Inside Your Home
As your plumbing fixtures get old, they corrode and start leaking. If they go unnoticed for some time, the problem may aggravate, leading to constant water loss and higher bills. The most susceptible fixtures to be checked for possible leakages are:
Toilets
When the rubber flapper inside the toilet tank starts wearing, the water constantly seeps into the bowl. This single leakage can waste around 200 gallons of water a day in your home. You can imagine the added costs over the month. Whether you notice the toilet running even after it finishes flushing or hear strange noises coming from the bowl, call an expert plumbing service immediately to find the exact leaky spot and rectify it.
Shower Heads
Over time, your showerhead may start leaking due to mineral deposits or worn-out washers. It leads to constant water dripping and wastage of up to 10 drops per minute. The problem may seem insignificant as such, but if you factor in wastage of 500 gallons every year, it needs immediate attention by your local plumber.
Leaky Faucets
You have plenty of faucets around your home, and one of these may wear out any time without your knowledge. Every faucet that leaks one drop per second can lead to 17 gallons of water wasted per day. Luckily, you can easily notice this leakage and call a plumbing service to deal with it.
Hidden Leaks
Your plumbing lines remain hidden from your view at most places in your home. Hence, you may not even know about the leaks they develop until you receive an inflated water bill. Hidden water leakages can happen in primary and secondary lines delivering water to individual fixtures.
Since you cannot spot them immediately, look for signs like water damages on ceilings, mold growth, low water pressure, or hot spots on the flooring. You can also check your water meter to see if the dial is spinning even when no one uses any plumbing fixture inside the house.
In any of these cases, don’t delay calling a plumbing service to find the exact point of the leak and recommend the right solution.
Outdated Fixtures
Many San Antonio, TX, homes are old enough with a legacy attached to them. However, older homes have outdated plumbing fixtures and pipes. They are more vulnerable to damages leading to leakages and higher water bills. If you notice a spike in your bills lately, check all the faucets, appliances, and water-using equipment in your home for their manufacturing date.
If they have surpassed their expiry, consider replacing them immediately. You can depend on a plumbing service to determine the age and functionality of your water fixtures for repair or replacement.
Leakages in Swimming Pool or Sprinkler
The real cause of increasing water bills does not necessarily hide inside your home. Sometimes, the outdoor fixtures and features can be the culprit, too. Your swimming pool, a water feature, or sprinkler system can waste an insane amount of water every month if you fail to notice any leakages in them.
A swimming pool leakage is noticeable when the water levels fall in the pool, there are cracks in the tile, or you see wet spots in your yard around the pool. Similarly, the sprinkler leakage signs include water leaking from the sprinkler head, soil eroding around it, and damp patches in the lawn.
Whenever you notice any of these signs, contact a plumbing service to find the exact cause and fix it.
Recent Increase in Water Usage
Sometimes, you may not notice a small change in your water usage pattern leading to higher water bills. It may be due to a guest in your household or new water-guzzling equipment, like dishwasher, freezer, or washing machine.
You can’t really avoid any of these circumstances, but you can still prevent a sudden spike in your water usage with proper planning. Consult your plumbing service about the most efficient equipment and budget for higher consumption when you expect an additional member in your household.
Faulty Water Wasting Behavior
No matter how hard you try, some habits rarely leave you. Wasting water when brushing your teeth, washing the dishes, and doing the laundry is one of them. You should learn to change your habits and avoid wasting water when using any fixture or faucet.
Problem with Your Water Softener
Not always a water leakage is evident or visible easily. Some causes, like a water softener stuck at the regeneration mode, need an expert eye to detect it. If you fail to find this problem, it can cause a significant water loss in your home.
Regeneration mode refers to the setting where the water softener flushes away the hard minerals deposited inside it. Typically, it catches these minerals from 25-50 gallons of water every time.
So, when your softener runs for more than 2 hours, it may be regenerating itself constantly instead of entering this mode at specific times. It is a complex problem that requires expert plumbing service for immediate resolution. Instead of tinkering with the softener yourself, wait for professionals to come and check it thoroughly.
Apart from these, cracks or loose joints in your underground pipes can also cause constant leakages and water wastage in your home. These are severe conditions that affect the lateral and irrigation lines. Calling an expert is the best way out.
Experienced Local Plumbing Experts to Your Rescue
When you notice a sudden and unexpected spike in your water bills, call the pros. At bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of San Antonio, we have the right expertise and technology to detect any hidden leak or potential water wastage in your home. You can rely on our plumbing service for complete solutions to all your water wastage woes. Call us at 210-876-1629 immediately.
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