Water Bill Suddenly Doubled? Find the Leak

A water meter records every litre that passes it, whether that water reaches a tap or soaks into the ground under your drive. A bill that has doubled or tripled with no new bathroom, no paddling pool and no extra people in the house is the meter telling you the truth: water is leaving the pipework somewhere it should not. Because the escape is usually underground or under a floor, there is often nothing to see, and the bill is the first and only warning.

Around Watford and across London the most common cause is the supply pipe between the boundary stop tap and the house. In 1930s semis it is often an old lead or galvanised pipe under the front garden; in Victorian terraces it can be a copper pipe under a suspended timber floor; in newer houses a blue MDPE pipe with a failed joint. Inside the house, a toilet overflow running quietly into the pan, a leaking underground pipe feeding an outside tap, or a corroded copper joint under a solid floor will each waste thousands of litres a month without a drip you can see.

We start at the meter. With every tap and appliance off, the meter tells us how much water is escaping and whether it is on the mains or the heating. From there we use an acoustic ground microphone to listen for the leak through floors, concrete and paving, and hydrogen tracer gas where the pipe is buried or plastic and silent. Once the leak is pinpointed we mark it, photograph it and, if you want us to, open the smallest possible hole and repair it the same visit. You get a written report with the readings and photographs.

Most water companies will consider a leak allowance on the bill once a leak on your side has been found and repaired, so keep the report and the repair invoice. If the leak has damaged the house, your buildings insurance may cover the cost of finding it under trace and access cover; check your policy wording or ask us and we will tell you what insurers usually expect to see.