Summer ushers in the vacation season as many people leave their homes for road trips or flights to distant locations. People may leave their house for several days or weeks only to discover a high water bill when they come back.
(Pixabay / torstensimon)
If nobody used the shower, toilets, or other devices that consume water, how could this happen? The unusually high water bill could result from problems in the plumbing system. Your toilet or sprinkler system could be malfunctioning. To keep this from happening, make sure to check your plumbing system before you leave home.
To keep your water bill low throughout summer, consider these additional tips:
- Avoid yanking on your water hose – Yanking the hose could cause it to tear or rip. While small tears may not be noticeable, they will cause leaks, which will result in an unnecessary increase in your water bill.
- Be careful when cutting grass – You could accidentally run over the sprinkler heads and lines when you are mowing your lawn. Many people have the habit of mowing their lawns before leaving for vacation. If they accidentally damage the sprinkler system in the process, there will be big problems in their absence.
- Shut off the water meter when you leave town – If your family is leaving on vacation, make sure to shut off the main valve of your water line. You should also shut off your water heater so your pipes don’t burst while you are away, leading to disastrous problems that require costly fixes.
- Inspect all water hoses before summer – Summer entails the use of more water, so make sure that your hoses are in good condition before you start using them heavily.
- Schedule preventative plumbing maintenance – A thorough inspection will help bring your plumbing system up to par before you start drawing heavily on it this summer.
Higher water bills are inevitable during the warm months, but the last thing you want to do is pay for water you don’t need. Do a little legwork in advance to make sure your plumbing system is primed for efficient use this summer.