Help! Massive Water Bill Mystery in My 3-Unit Building

[Mario Morales]

This morning I tried to get to the bottom of my insane water bill.

• Shut off the main water supply to my 3-unit building.

• Checked the meter — it stayed completely still.

• Turned the water back on — meter started moving right away, so it’s working fine.

Here’s the history: my water bill used to be about $475/month. Then it suddenly jumped to $700. I called the city, and they came out and installed a brand-new meter. After that, it went down slightly to $500… but now my latest bill is a whopping $1,500.

From my test this morning, it seems there’s no leak between the street and the building — the extra usage is happening inside. One unit has 1 tenant (rarely home), the second has 4 tenants, and the third has 5 — but the total usage is way above normal.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? How did you figure out which unit or appliance was causing the spike?

[Mario Morales]

Thank you everyone, I am having professional plumber come out this week to look. He charges $500 for the first hour, he'll be inspecting alll 4 units and will fix on the spot if the leak is found. I feel its pricy but I cant find a reliable company that will work in chicago and have the leak detection services. They're all in burbs and dont come out to chicago. My math is $500 versus an extra thousand every billing period. Usual bimonthly bill is $500, this time it was $1500 (750 a month)