My parents last water bill was nearly triple what it normally is. So they are trying to track down the cause. There are no obvious leaks and with the amount of usage that is being reported, it most likely has something to do with the meter. But I did pick up this cool tip for finding a water leak from the water company.

This tip has to do with the toilet. Sometimes the flap doesn’t always close but usually this is pretty obvious since the water doesn’t turn off after flushing. But some times the rubber flaps become hard and won’t close properly and cause a slow leak. We had this happen in our rental house. You could hear the water dripping even though it wasn’t as loud as when the flap is open.

But here is an easy way to check for a water leak in your commode tank. Drop a some food coloring dye into the water in the tank. Wait for a while to let it settle. If the dyed water shows up in your toilet bowl before you have flushed, then you have a leak. The lady at the water company said this was the easiest way to determine if you had a lead with your tank.