It is not common for a homeowner to experience a large increase in their water bill. In the event of a noticeable increase, there are several factors to review and consider.
The most common factor is a leaking toilet that has been flushed and continues to run. A toilet that continues to run can result in over 150 gallons of wasted water per day. A leaking faucet is equally as common, and should be inspected in the event of an increased water bill. You should always hire a licensed plumber to perform a complete analysis on your plumbing system before concluding on the source of your problem.
Another common and less obvious reason would be an increase in people utilizing your bathrooms. Do you have relatives staying with you for the holidays or summer? If yes, you should expect a moderate increase to the water bill. The analysis should not stop, many homeowners assume the increase is due to increased usage to only become aware that the bill continues to rise far after the visitors have moved out of the house.
In New York City it is common for pipes to freeze throughout the winter and is always suggested to keep a small amount of water running to avoid frozen pipes. Many homeowners assume that the drip of water is not enough to impact the water bill however; it may result in over 100 gallons of wasted water per day. If you are living in a city that experiences extremely cold weather conditions, you may not have any other option but to deal with the increase.
Read more on frozen water mains here
Recently in Queens
A homeowner contacted her licensed plumber after experiencing three consecutive months of increased water bills. As part of his analysis, he turned off the water main control valve from the roadway when he first became aware that the house had a lead water line from the street to inside the foundation wall. The owners had no clue that they had been living with lead pipes and even worse, drinking the water.
Location of old lead water main |
The plumber also experienced a problem when attempting to open the water main valve. The valve was not utilized on a regular basis as always suggested, and was now stuck in the closed position. The house now had no running water in addition to the internal water leak causing the increased bill.
Due to the lead water main, the homeowner decided not to risk trying to fix the valve and opted to have a new copper water main installed on an emergency basis.
After obtaining all required DOT emergency roadway opening permits, Harris Water was on site the next morning and began digging the roadway for a new water main installation.
The city water main was only twenty five feet away from the house, this allowed for a quick installation and minimal damage resulting from the work. Harris was able to make one hole in the roadway, dig down four feet to the city water main and make one long tunnel to inside the house. It is not common that a water main can be installed by making one hole. This particular area of queens is known for having sand like conditions, allowing for long tunnels to be made below ground level. Many other areas of NYC have more challenging, and rock like conditions that require multiple holes to be made for the water main installation.
Making roadway tunnel |
New copper water line |
