Leaks and Water Usage

Regularly checking your water meter can help you catch potential leaks early to help avoid surprises on your water bill and costly damage to your home. 

Please ensure that there are no leaks in your water system as no adjustments or reductions can be made to your water bill for excessive consumption which may have resulted from a leak, burst pipe or fixture malfunction.

Find our more about water meters.

How to Check for Leaks

Odometer Style Water Meter

• Check the low flow indicator (a small red arm) on the bottom of the water meter. If it is moving, however slightly, and no one is using any water, this could indicate a potential leak within your home (image available here).

LCD Style Water Meter

• Shine a flashlight over the light sensor to activate the LCD display. If you have a leak, a faucet will display on the upper left side of the LCD display (image available here).
• If the faucet is flashing it indicates water usage for more than 50% of the time during a 24 hour period.
• If the faucet is on continuously it indicates water usage at least once every 15 minutes during a 24 hour period. There is most likely a leak at your property.

Suspect a Leak? Try these options:

• Check taps, toilets, faucets, pipes, hoses, water softeners, water filters, humidifiers, and sprinkler systems for possible leaks. Any type of malfunction with your water softeners, humidifiers, irrigation system or air conditioning systems could be very costly.
• Put food colouring in your toilet tank and if it seeps in the toilet bowl without flushing there is a leak.
• Check your water filter system, these units can automatically go on "self-clean" mode, consuming thousands of litres of water daily.

Water Filtration Units and High Water Bills

Some houses use appliances such as humidifiers, water filtration units and water softeners that make the home more comfortable and can also use significant amounts of water. It is important that homeowners understand how these types of appliance work and how to control the amount of water they consume.

All appliances can malfunction and some water filtration units have been linked to extreme excessive water consumption. If you own any water filtration unit, we encourage you to monitor it regularly to ensure it is operating properly.

Water filtration units can malfunction and remain in 'self clean' mode which can increase daily water consumption up to 35,000 litres per day. Average daily household usage in Richmond Hill is 821 litres.

An increase in water use will result in high water bills. All water bills are based on water meter readings and are proven to be extremely accurate. You are responsible for the cost of all water that passes through your water meter, whether it is used or wasted.

Leaks in your home, such as a dripping faucet or running toilet can also lead to high water bills. See above for useful information about testing for leaks in your water system.

How do I locate my water lines?

Call 905-771-8800 if you require assistance locating the water lines under your property. Give us a minimum of eight hour notice and we will be happy to assist you. In emergency situations, we will do our best to help you as soon as possible.