My water bill jumped from $17 to $83 , I was told must have a leak inside. Blue tablet put in tank, bowl water blue after flushing. What do I do next?

Hi John

Normal for color to go in bowl after flushing.

What is height of water in tank? There is an over flow tube in middle of tank. Water should shut off when water is about 1'' below top of tube.

Do u have an outside spigot that was not turned of for winter?

At meter, can u hear water running through pipe or see meter spinning with no water running in house?Please answer these questions and we will be able to help u

Chuck

Hi John:

You did not want to FLUSH the toilet after putting the dye in the toilet tank... You wanted to wait to see if the colored water in the tank leaked by the toilet flapper and showed up in the toilet bowl... WITHOUT FLUSHING! If it did, then the flapper is defective and needs to be replaced.

Do the dye test again. This time, let it sit in the tank for 2 hours... DO NOT FLUSH! If dye color is in bowl 2 hours later then the flapper will need to be replaced at a minimum. Worst case, you will need to replace the entire flush valve.

Let us know how you make out...
There we go again Mark! Posting on top of one another.
MARK

Blue tablet put in tank, bowl water blue after flushing. Not quite how it's done.
You put food coloring in the tank before you go to bed. You leave it there over night without flushing. Next morning you check the bowl for color.
But let's check farther to see if you have a hidden leak. Are you on a slab or do you have a basement?
To check to see if you have a hidden leak first shut down everything in the house, no flush, no drinks of water, and if you are on a meter go out and check the little pointer in the gage. It should not move or creep. If it does you have a leak. If you're on a pump then check the pressure gage after the pump builds up to pressure and shuts off. The gage should not fall and the pump come back on. If so then you have a leak. Hope this helps and thank you for rating my reply, Tom

Hi John,

You have hidden like Tom says follow his instruction for more info, open the links below and watch the clips will give you an idea, good luck.

John

Water Shut-Off Valve for Home Water Conservation Tips | Expert Village Videos (http://www.expertvillage.com/video/12146_water-shut-off-valve.htm)

Check for Toilet Leaks for Home Water Conservation Tips | Expert Village Videos (http://www.expertvillage.com/video/12149_toilet-leaks-water-conservation.htm)

How to Locate a Toilet Leak for Water Conservation Tips | Expert Village Videos (http://www.expertvillage.com/video/12161_locate-toilet-leak.htm)

Hi, if your water bill is 500% higher from billing period to billing period than it means something is using FIVE times more water then the entire house usage. And that's serious usage. I would look for a leak in your sprinklers first. Also, listen for hissing sound when noise pollution in down, late at night. Walk around your house and around your property and listen. Also, put your ear on pressure regulator. Listen if you can hear water running through.