Water is essential to life yet one in three people in the world don’t have access to safe drinking water! It’s easy to take water for granted but the reality is that it is a precious commodity. Wasting water doesn’t just increase the size of your water bill, it can be detrimental to water availability across the planet.
If your water bill appears to have suddenly increased and you’re not aware of specific additional usage or a price increase, you should contact a reputable plumber Sydney and get them to take a look at your pipes. They are likely to find and fix, the issue quicker than you can.
But, it is worth knowing what the most common reasons for a high water bill are:
Leaking Toilet
Leaking toilets are often overlooked because they don’t make a mess or create water stains. Instead, the water simply overflows from the cistern into the toilet and disappears down the toilet into the drains. The only clue will be a regular noise as the cistern tops itself up and water running down inside the toilet.
In most cases, this is caused by the valve at the base of the cistern becoming deformed or the float set incorrectly.
The valve allows water to pass when it shouldn’t, the incorrect float means the cistern overfills and the overflow pipe allows the excess water into the toilet, preventing a flood.
Simply adjusting the float can stop the issue. It is also possible to replacer the flap but you’ll need to shut off the water and lift the mechanism out to do this.
Dripping Faucets
A dripping faucet may not seem like much water but the reality is that it can cost you $20 per month, that’s a significant amount over a year.
Dripping faucets usually occur because the washer inside the faucet head has perished. This can be from use or because it is regularly over tightened. It’s a simple fix but you still need to shut the water off.
Leaks
If you have a water leak then your bill will go up. In some cases, the leak is in the walls and can be difficult to trace. The best approach is to take a water meter reading and then wait two hours without using any water. Take another reading, if it‘s changed you have a leak. You’ll need to locate it and replace the joint or pipe.
Don’t forget that water leaks can cause a variety of other issues, specifically with the structure of your property. The sooner this is sorted the better.
Excessive Irrigation
If you have an irrigation system you’ll need to make sure it is only being used when necessary. For example, if you have a timer but it has become damaged, you may be irrigating your garden more than you realize. Or, you may have forgotten to shut the water off and are irrigating the land during the winter.
It’s important to check all your water appliances and make sure they are only using water when they should be.
alison luri