High Water Usage

If your water bill seems to be too high or continues to go up, there are several easy steps you can take to isolate what may be causing this.

Consider the following:

• Has a toilet been running?
• Have I been watering my grass?
• Have I been washing my cars at home?
• Have I heard a dripping faucet?
• Have I had houseguests recently?

If you think you might have a leak, please observe the following tips below. If you continue to have issues please contact the Grain Valley Public Works division. They can schedule an inspection of your meter and help determine what may be causing your high water usage:

Test your toilet

Add dye (food coloring works well) to the back of the toilet tank. Dye strip tests may be obtained from the Grain Valley Water Department free of charge. After 30 minutes check the water in the bowl to see if color has leaked into it. If so, your toilet fill valve is leaking.

Hot water tanks

If there is any water dripping from pressure relief valve, have a qualified plumber replace it with a new one.

Home humidifier

Is the water setting too high? Is it discharging into the drain? Have a qualified person set it for you.

Ice makers

Are there any leaks around connections going to the icemaker?

Showers

Depending on the size of your showerhead, it should use 2-7 gallons per minute.

Outdoor and underground leaks

Leaks can also occur in harder to find places, such as under your house or in the service line between your water meter and your home. Check outdoor spigots and crawl spaces and look for wet spots in your yard, which may indicate a leak.