My water bill jumped and I don't know why
A bigger bill has several ordinary causes. Angi lists hidden leaks and running toilets, higher use from seasonal watering or a new household member, failing appliances, rate increases and meter errors. Only some of those are plumbing problems.
Work through the cheap checks first. They take under an hour and need only a pen, a clock and food coloring. If both tests come back clean, the cause is probably use or billing, and that is a conversation with the city.
Meter test: watching it with the water off
The EPA describes this check in its leak guidance. Read the meter, wait two hours without using any water, and read it again. Any change means a probable leak. Find the meter in a ground-level box near the street, and lift the lid carefully since insects sometimes nest inside.
- Shut off every faucet, the dishwasher, the washer and the sprinkler timer
- Check the ice maker and any water softener and bypass it if you have one
- Read the dial and the small sweep hand, and write them down
- Wait two hours with no water use at all
- Read again, and any movement means water is escaping
- Close the home's main shutoff and read once more to tell outside leaks from inside ones
What Dania Beach Homeowners Should Know About Water Bills
Dania Beach operates its own public water system, with the 2024 water quality report listing it as the City of Dania Beach, serving about 30,000 residents. That means your water bill comes from the city, not from a county utility or a private company. The city site places Utility Customer Service for billing under Finance, and it lists a Smart Meters page.
So the first call about a strange reading is to the city. Ask whether the meter was read, estimated or replaced, and ask whether any leak alert is on file. We could not read the body of those city pages, so do not assume what your account shows.
A neighbor's advice may not apply if they live in another town. Owners just outside the city in Davie or Pembroke Park should ask their own utility who sends the bill.
- City of Dania Beach 2024 water quality report + City of Dania Beach departments page + EPA WaterSense Fix a Leak Week
Toilet dye test: the quiet leak behind most bills
Toilets are a leading source of silent loss. The EPA test is simple. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank, wait 10 minutes without flushing, and look in the bowl. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking.
Flappers wear out. The EPA suggests replacing them at least every five years. A new flapper is a small part, and swapping one is a job most homeowners can do. If the flapper is fine and the fill valve hisses, the fill valve needs work.
What the EPA says leaks cost
The numbers explain why a small drip is not small. The table shows the main figures from the EPA WaterSense Fix a Leak Week page.
A family of four using more than 12,000 gallons a month in winter may have serious leaks, the EPA says. Your own usage on the bill, compared with the same month last year, is a useful clue.
| Measure | EPA figure |
|---|---|
| Household leaks nationwide per year | Nearly 1 trillion gallons |
| Average household leak per year | More than 9,300 gallons |
| Homes with leaks of 50 gallons or more per day | About 9 percent |
| Faucet dripping once per second | More than 3,000 gallons a year |
| Typical bill savings from fixing easy leaks | About 10 percent |
Other places water escapes unseen
Outdoor lines are common culprits in South Florida. A broken sprinkler head, a cracked irrigation valve, a hose bib that drips behind a bush and a pool auto-fill valve can all run for weeks. Inside, check under every sink and behind the water heater for damp spots or rust trails.
A leak in the buried line between the meter and the house will not show on a dry floor. The meter test points to it when the meter moves with the main closed. Our water service line repair crew fixes those, and leak detection pinpoints the spot before anyone digs.
Read the bill before you chase a leak
Look at the usage figure, not just the dollar total. Compare this month's gallons or units with the same month last year, because summer watering and winter visitors both shift use. A sudden step up that stays high points to a leak, while one odd month points to a one-time event such as filling a pool.
Also check the dates. An estimated read followed by a true read can double a bill for one cycle without any extra water being used. Ask the city to confirm whether the reading was actual. If you rent, send the bill to your landlord or property manager with your test results written down.
Who to call: the city or a plumber
Call a plumber when a test points to a leak on your side of the meter. Call the city when the meter looks wrong, the reading seems off or the bill itself is unclear. A plumber cannot adjust a bill or fix the city's meter.
If you call us, describe what the meter did during the test. That saves time on the phone. Reach us any hour at Call (954) 697-4920, and ask to book a leak check when it is not an emergency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do I call about a high water bill in Dania Beach?
Start with the City of Dania Beach Utility Customer Service, which handles billing. Do the meter and toilet tests first so you can describe what you saw. Call a plumber if the tests show a leak on your side of the meter.
Does the city fix a leak in my yard?
Generally the pipe on your side of the meter is yours to repair. We could not confirm the city's exact rules from the pages we could read, so ask the city where its responsibility ends at the meter.
How do I find the water meter at my Dania Beach house?
Look in a small ground-level box near the street or sidewalk, often with a lid marked water. In a multi-unit building, the meter may be shared or in a utility room. Ask your property manager if you cannot find one.
Can a toilet really cause a big bill?
Yes. A flapper that does not seal can pass water silently all day. The EPA dye test takes 10 minutes and shows the leak without any tools.
Will my insurance help with a high bill from a leak?
It depends on the policy and the leak. Many policies exclude gradual seepage and cover sudden damage. Read yours and ask your agent.
Code reference: plumbing work in Florida falls under the Florida Building Code, Plumbing (8th Edition, 2023), which is based on the 2021 International Plumbing Code (IPC). Ask the Dania Beach Building Division whether your job needs a permit.