A High Water Bill Usually Has a Reason You Can Find

A high water bill north of Orlando usually traces back to a leak, a running toilet or a sprinkler schedule that drifted. You don't need tools to start. EPA's WaterSense program says the average household's leaks waste more than 9,300 gallons a year, and fixing the easy ones saves about 10 percent on a water bill.

How do I check for a leak with the water meter?

Make sure nothing inside or outside is using water, then walk out to the meter. For Seminole County customers that means the meter box set in the lawn by the curb or walk. Raise the meter's cap and keep an eye on its flow indicator, which can be a tiny dial, a triangle or a little wheel. The county's rule of thumb: if it spins while all water uses are off, you have a leak.

EPA offers a slower version that catches small leaks: note the reading, keep every tap off for a two-hour stretch, then compare. Any change at all probably means a leak.

Found two meters side by side? One might feed the sprinklers and one the house, or one might belong next door. Read off the numbers printed on each cap and ask Seminole County billing to match yours.

Is the leak inside or outside the house?

Shut the main valve where the line enters the house, then check the meter a second time. Per Seminole County, an indicator that keeps turning with the main shut points to the yard line, the run from meter to valve. Ask your utility where its part of the line ends, and call a licensed plumber for the rest.

If the indicator stops, the leak is inside. Check anything that refills on its own: the pool, a fountain, a water softener, the ice maker and the water heater. Then shut off the toilets one at a time at the valve behind each and watch whether the indicator stops. If nothing turns it up, our slab leaks story covers the next steps.

Could a toilet really cost that much?

Yes. By Seminole County's figures, one toilet leaking quietly can waste 150 gallons daily, or 55,000 gallons over a year. A worn flapper or a fill valve set too high can let water trickle into the overflow without making much noise.

EPA's dye test finds it: tint the tank water with food coloring, leave the handle alone, and look in the bowl 10 minutes later. Color in the bowl means a leak. Flappers and fill valves are among the simpler repairs a homeowner can take on, following the part maker's instructions.

EPA WaterSense and Seminole County Water Conservation

Average household leaks9,300 gallons per year

One silently leaking toilet55,000 gallons per year

Source: EPA WaterSense; Seminole County

Average household leaks come to 9,300 gallons per year by EPA's count, while one silently leaking toilet can run 55,000 gallons per year by Seminole County's.

How much water is too much for a family?

EPA gives one benchmark: if a family of four uses more than 12,000 gallons a month in a cold month like January or February, there could be serious leaks. EPA also says 9% of homes have leaks that waste 50 gallons or more a day.

Are the sprinklers running up the bill?

They can be, especially if the controller hasn't been touched since spring. St. Johns River Water Management District rules allow no more than 3/4 inch of water and no more than 1 hour per zone on each watering day, and none at all in the 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. heat of the day. From Sunday, November 1, 2026 the schedule drops to once a week: Saturday for odd addresses and Sunday for even ones. Our watering days story has the full calendar.

Automatic systems also need a working rain shutoff device, so check that yours still works. A broken head or stuck valve can waste water unnoticed, so watch each zone run now and then.

What if I'm on reclaimed water?

Your irrigation should be on a separate lavender meter and billed as its own line. Seminole County says reclaimed use is billed as a separate line item, so a jump on the drinking-water line points back inside the house. Our reclaimed water story explains the system.

When should I call a plumber?

When the meter shows a leak and you can't find it, or when it's outdoors between the meter and the house. Seminole County's advice is to call the plumber if none of these tests locates your leak. Before anyone starts, look up the license as described in our hiring a plumber story.

Readers often ask

My bill doubled but I can't hear anything running. Where do I start?

Start at the meter with every water use off. If the indicator moves, close the main shutoff to see whether the leak is indoors or outdoors, then test the toilets with food coloring.

Does the water softener use water when it regenerates?

Yes. Seminole County lists the softener among items that refill on their own, so include it when you look for a leak, and check that its settings haven't changed.

When is EPA's Fix a Leak Week?

In 2026 it ran March 16 to 22. The checks work any week of the year.

Can a leak between the meter and the house be the utility's problem?

Seminole County describes a leak that keeps the indicator moving with the main shut as outdoors between the meter and your shutoff. Ask your utility where its responsibility ends, and call a licensed plumber for your side.

How do I know if my address is odd or even for watering days?

Look at the last digit of your street number: 1, 3, 5, 7 or 9 is odd, and 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 is even.

Where this came from

1. EPA WaterSense — Fix a Leak Week — household leak totals, 10 percent savings, two-hour meter test, dye test, 12,000-gallon benchmark, 2026 dates
2. Seminole County Water Conservation — Leaks (archived 2025) — meter box and flow indicator, main shutoff test, toilet leak figures, auto-refill items, two meters
3. St. Johns River Water Management District — Watering restrictions — watering days, hours and per-zone limits
4. Seminole County Utilities — Reclaimed Water (archived 2025) — reclaimed billed separately, lavender meter box
5. Seminole County — Watering Restrictions (archived 2025) — reclaimed customers twice a week
6. City of Sanford — Watering Restrictions brochure (2022) — Sanford reclaimed three days a week; odd and even addresses