High Water Bill in Pflugerville, TX: Causes and Quick Checks

Start With the Water Meter

Before anything else, a simple test tells you whether there's an active leak at all: shut off every fixture and water-using appliance in the house, then check whether the meter is still moving. If it is, water is flowing somewhere, whether you can see it or not.

Most water meters have a small leak indicator, sometimes a triangle or a small dial, that moves even with very slow flow. Watching that indicator for a minute or two with everything off is often more sensitive than trying to watch the main numbers change.

Running Toilets Are the Most Common Culprit

A toilet flapper that isn't sealing fully can waste hundreds of gallons a day without making enough noise to notice. It's worth checking every toilet in the house. A slow leak here is often silent, not the classic running sound most people expect.

Hidden Leaks Under the Slab or Behind Walls

If every toilet checks out and the meter still moves with everything off, the leak is likely inside a wall or under the slab. Ground movement can stress supply lines running under the foundation until a joint or a section finally gives way. A warm spot on the floor or a musty smell with no visible source are both signs worth taking seriously.

Irrigation Systems and Outdoor Leaks

A cracked irrigation line or a stuck sprinkler valve can run for days before anyone notices, especially if it's watering an area that's already supposed to be wet. If your bill jumped during a season when your irrigation system runs more, that's worth checking before assuming the problem is inside the house.

Appliance Connections Worth a Look

A washing machine supply hose, a dishwasher line, or a refrigerator's ice maker connection can develop a slow leak that goes unnoticed behind or under the appliance. These are usually easy to check visually and worth ruling out before assuming the leak is somewhere more complicated.

How Utility Billing Adjustments Sometimes Work

Once a leak is confirmed and repaired, ask your water provider whether it offers a high-bill adjustment. The City of Pflugerville lists a Catastrophic Water Leak Credit Request Form on its site, so ask Utility Billing how it applies to you. Many utilities offer some form of one-time credit for a documented, repaired leak, though the specifics and eligibility vary.

Comparing Your Bill to Past Months

Most water utility bills show a usage history graph or a comparison to the same period last year. That comparison is genuinely useful for telling a real leak apart from a seasonal increase. A spike that's dramatically out of line with the same month in prior years is a stronger signal than a bill that's simply higher than last month during a hot, high-irrigation stretch.

When to Call a Professional Versus Keep Investigating

If the meter test confirms active water flow but you've checked every toilet and visible fixture without finding the source, that's the point to bring in a professional rather than continuing to guess. Extended troubleshooting on your own, especially once a hidden leak is suspected, mostly just delays the fix while the underlying problem continues.

A Real Example of How This Plays Out

A common pattern we see: a homeowner notices a bill roughly double the usual amount, checks the toilets and finds nothing obvious, then calls once the next bill confirms it wasn't a one-time fluke. In many of these cases, the leak turns out to be a slab leak on the hot water side, discovered through acoustic and thermal equipment rather than anything visible from the surface. That's exactly the kind of leak that a DIY check alone won't catch.

If the meter test confirms an active leak but you can't see it, our leak detection page covers the acoustic and thermal equipment we use to find it. A warm spot on the floor specifically points toward a slab leak, covered in more detail on our slab leak detection and repair page. We run the same diagnostic process for Hutto homeowners.

Common Questions