Why Your Water Bill Suddenly Doubled

A doubled water bill almost always means an ongoing leak you haven't found — usually a toilet or an outdoor line.

Common causes

• Silent toilet flapper leak
• Outdoor irrigation line broken
• Slab or hidden supply leak
• Water softener stuck in regen

Step-by-step

1. 01Meter test: read, wait 30 min with everything off, read again
2. 02Food-colour every toilet — colour in the bowl = flapper leak
3. 03Check outdoor spigots and irrigation heads
4. 04Look at the softener — if it's running constantly, it's stuck

When to call Northbridge

• Meter shows movement with everything off
• You can't isolate the fixture that's leaking
• Multiple toilets are silently leaking
• Irrigation or outdoor supply is suspect