Check the meter
- Stop all water use in the house, appliances included.
- Read the meter and wait an hour.
- If the reading changed, water is leaking.
Common causes
- Running toilet
- Dripping tap
- Leaking outdoor tap or irrigation
- Hidden pipe leak
- Water softener stuck in regeneration
Next steps
Check toilets first with food colouring. Then look at outdoor taps and the softener.
Billing
Peel bills water based on meter readings. Ask the Region about any leak adjustment programs.
Seasonal spikes
Summer bills naturally rise with lawn watering, pools and car washing. Compare each bill with the same season last year rather than the previous bill. A big jump in winter, when outdoor water use is near zero, is a stronger sign of a leak. Also check whether your billing period changed length; a longer period means a bigger bill without any extra use.
A toilet that runs silently is the most common hidden culprit. Peel's billing cycle means a leak that starts now may not show on your bill for weeks, so meter checks are worth doing on their own.
Check the water softener too: one stuck in regeneration can send water to the drain for hours each day, quietly adding cubic metres to the bill.
Rather hand it over? Our plumbers handle main sewer line clearing and tankless water heater installation along with everything else on our residential plumbing list.