You open the water bill and it's up 30 percent. Nobody's taking longer showers. Nobody filled a pool. So where did it go?

Almost always, it's a leak you can't see. Here are the usual suspects, in order of how often we find them.

The toilet

A running toilet can waste over 700 litres a day and you won't hear a thing. The flapper wears out, the fill valve sticks, water trickles from the tank to the bowl nonstop. Quick test: drop a few drops of food colouring in the tank, wait 15 minutes, don't flush. If colour shows up in the bowl, that's your leak.

Outdoor taps and hose bibs

Check the tap at the side of the house. A slow drip out there is easy to miss because nobody's standing next to it. Also check for a wet patch in the grass near the foundation.

Under the sink

Open the cabinet and feel the shutoff valves and the trap. Damp cabinet floor, warped wood, or a musty smell means something's been dripping for a while.

The water heater

Look at the floor around the base. Even a small amount of standing water means the tank or a fitting is going. Don't wait on this one. A tank that's leaking is a tank that's about to fail.

The meter test

Turn off every tap and appliance in the house. Go look at your water meter. If the dial is still moving, water is leaving the system somewhere. That's your confirmation.

What to do

If you found the toilet, a flapper is a $10 part and a 10-minute job. Anything else, or if the meter's spinning and you can't find why, give us a call. We'll trace it and fix it before it turns into a floor replacement.

REMEDY handles leak detection and repair across the Niagara Region. Same-day service available.