{
  "title": "Huge Water Bill, No Visible Leak — Who Do I Call?",
  "description": "A four-figure water bill and nothing wet anywhere. Call the utility first — they re-read the meter and most will credit part of the bill — then run the free meter test. Who to call after that, in order, with real costs.",
  "category": "water",
  "vertical": "plumbing",
  "tldr": "Call your water utility first, not a plumber. They will re-read the meter, tell you whether the loss sits before or after it — before the meter is their pipe and their cost — and most run a leak adjustment policy that credits part of an anomalous bill, usually once, usually with proof of repair. Then run the meter test yourself. The most common single culprit is a silent toilet flapper.",
  "who_to_call": [
    {
      "who": "Your water utility — before any trade",
      "when": "The bill spiked with nothing visibly wrong. They re-read the meter, tell you which side of it the water is leaving, and most have a leak adjustment policy that can credit part of the bill",
      "not_for": "Water is actively pouring into the house — shut the main off and call an emergency plumber; the bill is the least of it"
    },
    {
      "who": "Nobody yet — run the meter test yourself",
      "when": "While you wait for the utility to call back. Everything off, note the reading, wait, re-read. It costs nothing and it is the one fact every trade will ask you for",
      "not_for": null
    },
    {
      "who": "Leak detection specialist",
      "when": "The meter still moves with the house main valve closed, or you suspect a slab leak — warm spot on the floor, sound of running water with everything shut off. Acoustic and thermal gear, its own trade",
      "not_for": "The meter stops when you close the main and a dye test already showed a leaking toilet — that is a $60–$120 part, not a $100–$400 investigation"
    },
    {
      "who": "Plumber",
      "when": "You know where the leak is — toilet, faucet, supply line, irrigation valve — or detection has marked the spot",
      "not_for": "Nobody has located the leak yet. A plumber hunting blind bills by the hour and may still open the wrong wall"
    },
    {
      "who": "Your landlord",
      "when": "You rent and pay the water bill. A huge bill with no visible leak is still their repair — you pay for water you use, not for plumbing that loses it",
      "not_for": null
    }
  ],
  "costs": [
    {
      "item": "Toilet flapper replacement (plumber)",
      "range": "$60–$120",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/toilet-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Running toilet repair (whatever else is worn)",
      "range": "$50–$400",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/toilet-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Leak detection (acoustic / thermal)",
      "range": "$100–$400",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/slab-leak-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Plumber hourly rate",
      "range": "$75–$150/hr",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/plumbing"
    },
    {
      "item": "Leaking pipe repair (accessible)",
      "range": "$150–$350",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/plumbing"
    },
    {
      "item": "Water main / service line repair",
      "range": "$500–$2,000 (national average $1,000)",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/water-main-repair"
    },
    {
      "item": "Slab leak repair",
      "range": "$1,000–$4,000 (national average $2,500)",
      "source": "Fixr",
      "source_url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/slab-leak-repair"
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Will the utility actually forgive part of the bill?",
      "a": "Often, but only if you ask. The policy goes by different names — leak adjustment, leak forgiveness, high bill credit — and the terms vary by utility, but the shape is consistent: an anomalous bill caused by a leak you have since repaired gets part of the excess credited, usually once per property, usually only inside a claim window, and usually only with a repair invoice as proof. Ask for it by name on the first call and find out what documentation they want before you spend anything."
    },
    {
      "q": "Nothing is leaking and the meter does not move. Where did the water go?",
      "a": "Three ordinary explanations before you assume a leak: a misread or estimated meter reading, a rate change, or intermittent use that a quiet-house test cannot catch — an irrigation timer that runs at 4 a.m., a water softener regenerating, a pool auto-fill, a toilet that only runs after a flush. Re-run the meter test overnight with the irrigation controller off, and compare the start and end readings yourself rather than trusting the bill."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can an underground leak really never show up in the yard?",
      "a": "Yes, routinely. On well-drained or compacted soil the water goes straight down instead of surfacing, and a service line running under a driveway or slab has nowhere to surface at all. The absence of a wet patch tells you nothing. This is exactly the case leak detection equipment exists for — acoustic listening picks up the pressurized hiss through soil and concrete."
    },
    {
      "q": "Whose pipe is it — mine or the water company's?",
      "a": "The meter is the usual dividing line: their pipe up to it, yours from it to the house. But the exact boundary varies by utility and sometimes by the age of the connection, and it decides who pays for a service line repair that can run $500–$2,000. Do not let anyone start digging before the utility has told you in writing where their responsibility ends."
    },
    {
      "q": "Do I have to prove I fixed it to get the credit?",
      "a": "Almost always. Keep the itemized invoice, and if you did the repair yourself keep the receipt for the part and photograph the old one. Utilities are crediting an event, not a complaint — the paperwork is what turns your story into an adjustment. This is the reason to call them before the repair rather than after: they tell you what they will accept."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Plumbing rates",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/plumbing",
      "accessed": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Toilet repair cost",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/toilet-repair",
      "accessed": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Slab leak repair cost",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/slab-leak-repair",
      "accessed": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "label": "Fixr: Water main repair cost",
      "url": "https://www.fixr.com/costs/water-main-repair",
      "accessed": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "label": "EPA WaterSense: Statistics and Facts",
      "url": "https://www.epa.gov/watersense/statistics-and-facts",
      "accessed": "2026-08-16"
    },
    {
      "label": "EPA WaterSense: Fix a Leak Week",
      "url": "https://www.epa.gov/watersense/fix-leak-week",
      "accessed": "2026-08-16"
    }
  ],
  "updated": "2026-08-16",
  "url": "https://whodoicallfor.com/water/high-water-bill/",
  "json_url": "https://whodoicallfor.com/water/high-water-bill.json",
  "recommended_call": null
}