Troubleshooting High Water Bills in Portland

Sticker shock!  If you open your water bill and you’re seeing a 50% increase or more, it is probably time to see if you can find the source of the high water bill.  In most cases the answer presents itself relatively easy in a cycling toilet or a dripping faucet.  In more difficult cases you may have a broken water main, but even that is fairly easy to identify – see steps 6 and 7 below.  Use this guide to troubleshoot your high water bill, and call us if you have questions or identify a plumbing problem.

Portland High Water Bill Troubleshooting

1. Turn off all running water in the house
2. Check the meter at the street
3. If the dial is spinning, water is being lost somewhere in the system – leaking or broken
4. For a very slow leak, you may need to mark the meter or write down where it’s at then and check back for movement an hour later or in the morning after a night’s rest
5. Inspect the toilets, sinks, faucets, fixtures – anywhere there is running water – for leaks, drips, running or cycling toilets that won’t stop running.
6. If you don’t find any issues in the house, locate the main shutoff valve in the house and turn that to close.
7. Check the meter to see if water is still being lost.  If so this may be an indicator that you have a broken water main.