Water Services

• Review your utility bills from previous months, including the reading cycle and how many days of consumption were billed on each invoice.
• If your water meter was recently replaced, the sequence on the invoice may have changed, leading to a higher consumption billing on one utility bill than on the other.
• Check if the readings on your utility bill were actual readings or estimated readings. Circumstances that may restrict access to your property (like an aggressive dog, snow, or home renovations) may result in your utility bill showing an estimated charge for consumption or a zero read until we're able to get a reading. Confirm if your bill was estimated, and then an actual read was collected resulting in additional charges.

Toilets

The main reason for high water consumption is a toilet leak, which can be difficult to find. Normal causes can be:

• a faulty flapper valve seal
• a bad ballcock valve
• an improperly positioned float arm
• or defective overflow tube

It's important to fix this issue as soon as possible, as it can waste a lot of cubic meters of water over a billing cycle.

Check your toilet by using the dye test: place a few drops of food colouring in the tank at the back of your toilet. Do not flush. Wait and observe for 45 minutes to 1 hour. If colour seeps into the toilet bowl, you have a leak.

Digital Displays

Review the digital display on your water meter before leaving your house for the day. If you are positive no water is being used, check it as soon as you get home to see if the numbers have moved. If they have, you likely have a leak. 

The following day, get the reading again. Then, isolate one of your toilets by shutting it off using the valve at the base of the toilet. Verify the readings when you return and work through this process on all toilets to determine if that could be a source of a leak. The goal is to ensure the meter doesn't move when you are positive you're not using water.

Water Softeners

Customers with water softeners have higher water bills due to the regeneration or backwash cycles their systems are set to go through on a regular basis. Check how often your softener is set to perform this cycle. These units can sometimes revert back to a factory setting after a power flicker. A plumber or softener manufacturer should be able to provide you with recommendations.

If you believe your softener could be a problem, contact the Municipality of Kincardine's environmental services at 519-396-4660 and we may be able to assist you. Our staff will be able to review your account and look for a pattern that shows up in our system that reads continuous flow. These often show up in our software every 5 to 8 days as a pattern.

Check to make sure your outdoor taps are shut off. A garden hose can discharge about 3 to 4 cubic meters per hour. Are your taps properly winterized or has it split your hose and caused a leak? A pinhole leak 1/8 of an inch in a garden hose at 60 psi can discharge 12 to 15 cubic meters of water per day.

• Have you had an increase in the number of people living in your home? If so, your consumption billing may be higher than previous periods.
• Typically, meter consumption is higher in the summer months. Watering of lawns, gardens, vegetables, cleaning vehicles, etc. all lead to higher usage. Consider whether you have recently completed a landscaping project that required additional watering.
• Did you fill a pool or hot tub? These can also increase meter readings.

If you receive a bill that you feel is too high, check over the common causes listed above to help you pinpoint the source of the high invoice.

Our utility billing program detects high water usage and lets us know if there are continuous or intermittent water leaks in the billing cycle. You may need to contact a plumber or other professional help to determine the source of a leak. 

Property owners are responsible for all private service water lines from the public water main to the residence and for leaks inside the home.

If you have questions about your bill and the charges, please contact us at 519-396-3468 ext. 7143. If you have questions about a water leak or technical matter, please contact our water division at 519-396-4660.