My water bill was $200 this month (average about $70) & I had the city come check it out and they said it was on our side. I shut the main water valve off (in the house, not at the meter) & turned on every faucet to let out the water in the system. I later noticed the faucet still dripping (after closing the faucets) so I opened the faucet and water pressure had built up & the faucet ran for about 3 seconds, then had a slow stream of water still coming out. I made sure the main valve was completely shut, & the same thing happened. I flushed the toilet & it slowly gurgled, & after waiting a little while, checked it and it was almost full. Should I start digging as suggested by the city, or do I tear into my wall around the main valve? Please help! It's greatly appreciated!!

I'd hire a plumber experienced in that sort of problem... because you might have a leak anywhere between the meter and where the water comes into your house... and to triple your water bill, that's a lot of water... they know how to look for leaks that big before they dig many times..

Unless you own your own backhoe... thats a huge undertaking for an individual with hand tools.

That's kinda' what I thought. Thanks for the advice. It's really appreciated. (I'm still hoping for a miracle though).

That's kinda' what I thought. Thanks for the advice. It's really appreciated. (I'm still hoping for a miracle though).

Get a metal rod about 4 feet long... you know where the meter is... I assume you know where the pipe comes in the house...

Stick the rod into the ground orobiung around because where that leak is is going to be soft and muddy... at least below the surface.