Dripping faucets
Leaking flappers in the toilet tank
Leaking trap seal primers
Outside taps dripping
The hot water tank relief valve leaking
How to Test for High Water Meter Readings
Turn off all faucets
Shut off the main valve and wait 5 minutes
Turn the main valve on and see if the water meter dial moves.
If the dial does move, this normally indicates that a leak is present
How to Spot-Check an Issue
Dripping Faucets If you suspect that faucets are dripping when off, simply turn the faucet off and look for any drips.
Leaking Toilets Flush the toilet when the flapper drops and the toilet will start to fill. Add a few drops of food colouring to the tank water and repeat in each toilet. Go back to the first toilet and lift the toilet seat and see if the water colour has changed. If so, the flapper may need replacing. Observe the other toilets to see if the water colour has changed.
Trap Seal Primer Look in floor drains to see if there is a small tube entering the side of the pipe. When some taps are running, a small amount of water will flow from the tap into a p-trap (floor drain), when the faucet is turned off the flow should stop. These tube connections are normally hooked up to L-tub faucets or a device called a trap seal primer.
Outside Taps/ Hose Bibb Many people will leave garden hoses left on which could have a leaking spray nozzle. The leaking/dripping causes water to be wasted and will lead to a high water bill.
Hot Water Tank Relief Valve Some hot water tanks have their relief valves piped into a drain, check to see if pipe is dripping. If so, the relief valve will need to be replaced.
If you suspect that one of your fixtures is wasting water, resulting in a high water bill at the end of the month and you are unsure of how to correct the issue, call Plumbway to repair/replace and resolve your issue.