You open your water bill and the number is way higher than last month. Nobody moved in, you didn't fill a pool, and your habits haven't changed. So where is all that water going?
A sudden jump in your water bill is one of the earliest warning signs of a plumbing problem, and it often shows up before you see a puddle, a stain or a wet spot. The good news: most causes are easy to track down once you know where to look.
Here are the most common reasons Orlando water bills spike, how to check for each one yourself, and when it's time to call a professional.
First: Rule Out the Simple Stuff
Before you assume a leak, take two minutes to check the bill itself.
- Compare the usage, not just the dollar amount. Look for the gallons (or "thousand gallons") used. If the usage is normal but the total went up, it's a rate change, not a leak.
- Check the number of days in the billing period. A 35-day cycle will cost more than a 28-day cycle.
- Look for an "estimated" read. If the utility estimated last month, this month's actual read may include the catch-up.
- Remember sewer charges. Many Central Florida utilities calculate your sewer charge from your metered water use, so a jump in water use can roughly double the damage on the bill.
If the gallons used really did go up, keep reading.
7 Hidden Causes of a High Water Bill in Orlando
1. A Running or Leaking Toilet
This is the number one cause we find, and it's often silent. A worn flapper or a bad fill valve lets water trickle from the tank into the bowl all day and night. According to the EPA, a leaky toilet can waste around 200 gallons a day. That alone can turn a normal bill into a shocking one.
How to check: Put a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank (not the bowl) and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, the tank is leaking. Also listen for the tank refilling on its own when nobody has used it.
2. Your Sprinkler System
In Central Florida, outdoor irrigation is often the single biggest water user in the house, frequently more than everything indoors combined. A broken sprinkler head, a cracked line under the lawn, a zone valve stuck open or a timer that got reset after a power outage can quietly double your usage.
How to check: Look at your controller schedule and make sure it follows your local watering-day restrictions. Walk the yard during a cycle and look for geysers, soggy spots or heads that won't shut off. If the problem is in the sprinkler system itself, you'll need an irrigation contractor. If your meter keeps moving with the irrigation shut off, the leak is somewhere else, and that's where we come in.
3. A Slab Leak Under Your Home
Most Central Florida homes are built on a concrete slab with the water lines running underneath. When one of those pipes develops a leak, the water disappears into the ground and you may never see it. A steadily rising water bill is often the very first sign. Others include warm spots on the floor, the sound of running water when everything is off, and cracks in flooring.
We cover this in detail in our posts on slab leak warning signs and what slab leak repair costs in Orlando.
4. A Leak in the Main Line From the Meter
The pipe running from the water meter at the street to your house is your responsibility, not the utility's. If it cracks underground, from tree roots, shifting soil or just age, you pay for every gallon that leaks out before it reaches your home. Look for a spot in the yard that stays green or soggy even in dry weather.
5. Dripping Faucets and Leaky Fixtures
One drip doesn't sound like much. But the EPA estimates a faucet dripping once per second wastes over 3,000 gallons a year. Add a leaky shower valve, an outdoor hose bibb that won't fully shut off and a worn valve under a sink, and it adds up fast. Orlando's hard water wears out valve seats and washers faster, so these leaks are common here.
6. A Water Heater Leak or Failing Relief Valve
A temperature and pressure relief valve that keeps discharging, or a tank that's starting to leak, can send water down a drain line or into a garage floor drain where nobody notices it. If the drain line from your water heater is wet or dripping, have it checked. Here are the other signs your water heater is failing.
7. A Water Softener Stuck in Regeneration
Water softeners periodically flush themselves to recharge. If the control valve sticks, the softener can run water down the drain continuously. If you have a softener and hear water running near it when nothing is in use, that's a likely culprit. Pool auto-fill valves that stick open cause the same kind of hidden waste.
💧 Water Bill Doubled and You Can't Find Why?
Our leak detection team uses acoustic and thermal equipment to pinpoint hidden leaks under slabs, in walls and underground, without tearing up your home to find them. Call (407) 422-7443.
The 10-Minute Meter Test Every Homeowner Should Know
Your water meter is the best leak detector you have. Here's how to use it:
- Turn off every water fixture in the house. No dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker or irrigation running.
- Find your meter. It's usually in a box near the street or sidewalk. Lift the lid carefully, as these boxes can have ants or other insects.
- Look at the leak indicator. Most meters have a small triangle, star or dial that spins when any water is flowing. If it's moving with everything off, water is leaking somewhere.
- Write down the reading, wait 1–2 hours, and check again without using any water. If the number changed, you have a leak.
- Narrow it down. Shut off the main valve at the house. If the meter still moves, the leak is in the line between the meter and your home. If it stops, the leak is inside the house or under the slab.
If the meter is moving and you can't find a running toilet, a dripping fixture or a sprinkler problem, it's time for professional leak detection. Hidden leaks don't fix themselves; they get bigger and more expensive.
Why You Shouldn't Wait
A hidden leak costs you twice: once on every water bill, and again in the damage it does. Water under a slab can erode the soil beneath your foundation. Water inside walls leads to mold, rotted framing and ruined flooring. The longer it runs, the bigger the repair. Catching a leak while it's still just a higher bill is the cheapest way to deal with it.
Get Your Water Bill Back to Normal
At Choice Plumbing Orlando, we've been tracking down hidden leaks across Central Florida since 2005. We find the source, explain what we found and give you the repair options before any work starts, from a simple toilet repair to a slab leak reroute or a whole-house repipe if your pipes are failing.
If your water bill has jumped and you can't figure out why, call (407) 422-7443. A live person answers 24/7, and financing is available on larger repairs.