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If your water bill jumped and your habits did not change, the most likely cause is a leak, and the fastest way to confirm it is your water meter. Shut off every fixture, then watch the meter's small leak indicator for 15 minutes. If it moves, water is escaping somewhere. A running toilet is the most common culprit, but if the toilets test clean, the leak is probably hidden in a wall, slab, attic or yard line, and that is when professional leak detection pays for itself.
A surprise water bill is one of the most common reasons Baldwin County homeowners call us. The bill is often the first and only sign. There is no puddle, no stain and no sound. "Had a leak and did not know where it was coming from" is how one Gone Coastal customer described it, and that sentence captures the whole problem.
Start by ruling out the explanations that are not leaks. Compare the billing period to the same month last year, since summer irrigation, pool top-offs and houseguests all raise use. Check whether the bill was estimated rather than read. Then look at how many days the period covered.
If none of that explains it, run the meter test:
Any movement means water is flowing somewhere while the house is supposedly off. That is a leak, and the meter test just narrowed it down to "somewhere between the meter and your fixtures."
Toilets are the usual suspect, and for good reason. The EPA's WaterSense program notes that a running toilet can waste 200 gallons of water or more every day. A worn flapper can leak silently into the bowl with no hissing and no visible ripple.
The test costs nothing:
Do this for every toilet in the house, including the guest bath nobody uses. A slow toilet leak in a back bathroom can run for months before anyone notices. Sometimes the fix is a new flapper. Sometimes, as one of our technicians found on an older toilet, buildup on the flapper seat is keeping it from sealing and the seat needs attention, not just the rubber part.
If every toilet tests clean and the meter still moves, the leak is somewhere you cannot see. On the Gulf Coast, these are the places we find them most often:
Acidic coastal water matters here. The shallow aquifer under coastal Baldwin County is naturally soft and often mildly acidic, according to the USGS, and acidic water is hard on copper over time. Pinhole leaks in older copper are a regional pattern, not bad luck.
Professional leak detection is about narrowing the search before anyone opens a wall. The typical sequence looks like this:
The goal is one small, accurate opening instead of exploratory demolition. Our leak detection service is built around that approach: find it first, then repair only what needs repair.
Some water utilities offer a one-time leak adjustment once you can show the leak was repaired. Policies vary by provider, so call yours and ask before you assume either way. If they do, a dated invoice from a licensed plumber that describes the leak and the repair is usually what they want to see. Keep it, along with any photos.
The same paperwork helps with insurance. If a hidden leak has caused damage, your insurer will want to know where it was, what failed and when it was fixed.
Honest answer: not every high bill needs a plumber.
Call for detection when the meter moves, the toilets test clean, and you cannot find the source. That is exactly the situation the equipment exists for.
A hidden leak rarely stays the same size. Water inside a wall or under a floor damages drywall, flooring and framing, and in a condo it can become your downstairs neighbor's ceiling. The water bill is often the cheapest part of the problem. If a leak has already caused mold or structural damage, we will fix the plumbing and point you to the right remediation professional for the rest.
Turn off all water in the house and watch your water meter's leak indicator for 15 minutes. If it moves, water is escaping somewhere. Then do a dye test on every toilet. If the toilets are fine and the meter still moves, the leak is likely hidden in a wall, slab, attic or yard line.
A running or silently leaking toilet is the most common cause. The EPA notes a running toilet can waste 200 gallons or more per day. A worn flapper can leak into the bowl without any sound. Put food coloring in the tank and check the bowl after 15 minutes without flushing to find out.
Plumbers isolate sections of the system, pressure test to confirm which run is losing water, then use acoustic listening equipment and thermal imaging to pinpoint the spot. The aim is to open the floor once, at the right place, instead of breaking up large areas looking for the problem.
Yes. Water trapped inside walls, under flooring or in an attic creates the conditions mold needs, especially in Gulf Coast humidity. Fixing the leak quickly limits the damage. If mold is already present, the plumbing repair should be followed by a qualified mold remediation professional.
It depends on your policy and how the damage happened. Many policies treat sudden leaks differently from slow, long-term ones. Whatever your coverage, document everything: photos, the date you noticed the problem, and a licensed plumber's invoice describing what failed and how it was repaired.
Usually not. A visible drip under a sink or a leaking outdoor spigot just needs a repair. Leak detection is for situations where the meter shows water is flowing, the toilets test clean, and you cannot find the source on your own.
Gone Coastal Plumbing and Air provides professional leak detection and repair across Foley, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Daphne, Fairhope, Robertsdale, Silverhill, Fort Morgan, Elberta, Perdido Beach, Lillian, Summerdale and Magnolia Springs. We are a licensed Alabama master plumbing company (MP-3978) with more than 20 years in the trade.
Call/Text (251) 979-9396 or Click Here to Book Now!
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