High Water Usage Leak Found in Melissa, TX

This Melissa homeowner got a letter from the city about unusually high water usage. There were no puddles, no wet spots, and nothing obviously wrong, so we were called in to find where the water was going.

We put a pressure gauge on the cold side of the washer box and tested the system. The gauge dropped, which confirmed a leak. Next, we isolated the yard line from the house. The gauge still dropped, so the leak was inside. We found a small leak at the supply connection on top of the water heater, tightened it, and retested. This time the gauge held, and no other leaks turned up.

High water bill but no visible leak? How to check

A small leak can run for weeks without leaving a mark, and the first sign is often the bill. A few checks you can do yourself:

• Watch the meter. Turn off every faucet and water-using appliance, then look at the leak indicator on your water meter. If it moves, water is going somewhere.
• Test your toilets. A few drops of food coloring in the tank will show up in the bowl within 15 minutes if the flapper is leaking.
• Look at the top of the water heater. Water heater leaking from the top is usually a loose supply connection, a fitting, or the relief valve, and it can drip into a pan or behind the unit where nobody sees it.
• Check outdoor spigots and irrigation. Running hose bibs and sprinkler leaks are common in summer.

If those don’t turn anything up, a pressure test like this one tells us quickly whether the leak is in the yard or the house, so we can find it without guesswork.

For leak detection in Melissa, our local team is available 24/7. Learn more about our leak detection services.