It never fails that every week we’re reading a media story about some homeowner who just received a huge water bill due to a silent leak. In Winnipeg, just as in some other cities across Canada, homeowners are not notified when their water bill all of a sudden increases by 900000000%. Whether it’s possible or not for the city to keep track of water usage, as they already do with hydro, is yet to be confirmed, but everyone is wondering why it’s not already in place to avoid things like this.
The latest story comes to us from Toronto, where a household received a water bill for $4,000. The city of Toronto says that there is nothing they can do.
Their average water bill is roughly $444 a month. In November of the bill was 3,132.55. Anyone with a brain wonders how the city did not notice that and take action. But we digress, as that’s not the point of this article.
After confirming with the city that the amount was not a mistake, city investigators went to the home to check it for leaks. They found that there was no evidence of a leak.
So, here’s the dilemma – how do you know about a water leak if there is no evidence of it?
Silent leaks
It turns out that the leak was in a basement toilet, which had a faulty overflow valve.
An overflow valve costs anywhere from around $17 to $32 at Home Depot. Just think, a simple and easy thing can cost you thousands if it goes unnoticed.
A leak such as this is hard to detect, admittedly, as water does not spill onto the floor.
In the Toronto area, approximately 1,000 people get notified about high water usage every year who have similar leak problems.
In some cities, there are programs that people can apply to for assistance in paying their high water bill, but certain criteria has to be met.
In this case, unfortunately the people did not qualify.
Hire a professional Winnipeg plumber to check for water leaks
For the amount of money you can save and the headache you won’t have to deal with, consider hiring a licensed Winnipeg plumber to check the most common water fixtures for leaks or wear and tear that could lead to silent leaks.
For less than a hundred dollars (on average), get peace of mind that you won’t get a surprise in the mail.
Contact us at Dean’s Plumbing & Heating to check for leaks in your home!