Damaged plumbing is an insidious, hidden cause of unexpected utility costs. It is natural to expect incremental changes in your utility bill, so you might not even notice the next time a leak or break goes unattended. At Al Bourgeois Plumbing, our priority is to keep your plumbing in tip-top condition to ensure you do not lose any money to leaky pipes and high utility bills. While we cannot predict the exact amount your bill will increase with each issue (because these amounts depend upon your type of plumbing and the amount of water you use each month), your friendly Metairie plumber can help you identify high-risk areas to check to determine if you need to track down the cause of an unusually high bill. Read on to learn about the most common causes of high water bills.
The Dreaded Drip: The Cost of Leaky Faucets
Let’s make things simple. Have you ever been kept awake by annoying, dripping faucets? Calculate the cost with the U.S. Geological Survey Drip Calculator! A house with three faucets, leaking one drip per minute, can waste up to 104 gallons per year!
Our advice to you is to regularly check your faucets to make sure your faucets are drip-free. What appears to be an innocent drip can end up costing you a lot of money and may be a sign of a larger issue, such as a problem with your gaskets or pipe corrosion.
Pro Tip: A continuous leak can cause more damage than water waste! A regular drip can cause damage to your faucet that may have been avoided if corrected immediately!
The Tired Toilet: The Cost of Leaking or Running Bathroom Plumbing
According to a 2016 survey conducted by The Water Research Foundation, the average American flushes around 5 times per day, leading their flushes to amount to approximately 24% of their daily water use. Bottom line, your toilet uses a lot of water. If your bathroom plumbing is experiencing a leak or is constantly running, you can waste hundreds of liters of water a day! The following are some of the reasons your toilet may be using too much water:
You need to adjust your float height
The flapper needs to be replaced
Your refill tube is too long and needs to be shortened
An Al Bourgeois Metairie plumber can quickly diagnose any of these issues and custom-tailor a quick, cost-effective solution.
The Underground Leak: The Cost of Difficult to Detect Leaks
Unfortunately, unless you are running regular tests, underground leaks are difficult to detect on your own. The damage to your underground plumbing can be caused by age, natural factors such as roots, or damage caused by heavy trucks or equipment. Most homeowners are tipped off by an unusually high water bill. If you want to test to check and see if your high water bill is caused by an underground leak, you can run the Water Meter Test.
Water Meter Test. Turn off all the water in your home and then check the water meter. If it still indicates that there is a flow of water entering your home, you likely have an underground leak.
Metairie Plumber: Detecting Underground Leaks
If you suspect you have an underground leak, but you’re afraid of an invasive repair job, call Al Bourgeois Plumbing! Our trained experts will evaluate your plumbing and determine the source of the leak. Al Bourgeois Plumbing uses modern location equipment to locate the leaking water line.
Contact Your Metairie Plumber Al Bourgeois Plumbing Today!
All forms of water leaks, big and small, can have a huge impact on your utility bill and plumbing. At Al Bourgeois Plumbing, we’re prepared to do whatever we can to meet your needs. We take care of everything from water heater repair and installation to water line maintenance. Contact Al Bourgeois Plumbing, your Metairie Plumber, today!