A topic of discussion during the Monday, July 23, 2018, City Council Meeting was to review the current policy on handling customers’ large water bills, caused by leaks. City Administrator Barry Dykhuisen reported, “A leaking toilet is the most-often cause of leaks” that generate a large water bill. “Any water that goes through the meter is billed,” he said. “A stuck flapper on a toilet can sting you a couple hundred dollars.”
Reductions of excessively high bills may be made, at the discretion of the Mayor and City Administrator, but “We hardly ever do that on an individualized basis. We make everybody pay,” Dykhuizen concluded.
New York City Environmental Protection concurred, stating on their website, “High water bills are often caused by leaking toilets. Water can flow through an open fill valve at a rate of three-to-five gallons per minute–that’s up to 4000 gallons of water being wasted each day!”
“If you find a toilet leak or notice a significant increase in your water and sewer bill, don’t wait to have it repaired. Even a small leak is worth the effort. If you cannot make the necessary repairs yourself, call a licensed plumber.”
“We recommend that you test each toilet in your home for leaks once a year,” the site advised.
There are simple ways to do that.
Remove the tank lid. Add several drops-to-a-teaspoon of food coloring to the tank water. (If your water is colored with a blue sanitizer, add red coloring.) Let the dye set for ten or 15 minutes. Do not allow the toilet to be flushed during this time. If colored water appears in the toilet bowl, there is a leak in the flapper valve. The quicker the dye appears in the bowl, the more significant the leak in the tank is.
This suggestion is for those who have a City water meter installed. On the bathroom wall under the toilet tank, close your water shut-off valve. Go the basement, and find the water meter. If the meter is running, there is a leak. Be sure to reopen the shut-off valve.
You might hear a soft “whoosh” as the toilet tanks continues to refill, or you might observe water flowing down the inside wall of the toilet bowl, even though it has not been flushed.
There are simple ways to fix that.
Replace the flapper valve.
Call a licensed plumber to do the repair.