There are many reasons why your water consumption could increase. Were you watering your lawn this summer or do you have additional people living in your home? Do you have a toilet leaking?
We would first recommend doing a dye test on your toilet(s). You can call the Billing Office at 301-600-2354 to request free dye packets be sent to you or you can use blue or green food coloring to test your toilet(s). Do not use red food coloring as it can stain. Simply drop the dye tablets (or if they were crushed during mailing, just pour the powder out) or put a few drops of the food coloring into the tank of your toilet(s) and wait 15 minutes. DO NOT FLUSH! If any of the color shows up in the toilet bowl, the toilet is leaking. If you do not see any color in the bowl, check the tank of the toilet to verify the coloring is still in the tank. If it isn't, this is another indication the toilet is leaking. You can have a leaking toilet and not hear it. Leaking toilets do not flood your home because they drain into the sewer lines. If ignored, your usage and bill can increase significantly in the following months. DUSWM does not offer account adjustments for leaks found inside the home.
If you do not have an inside leak, you may have an underground service line leak. Call our office at 301-600-2354 if you would like to schedule a service line leak check. There is a $50 fee for this test. Water leaks on the house side of the meter vault are the responsibility of the homeowner. We offer a one-time adjustment following the service line leak repair. Please contact our office for more information about this adjustment.
For more information about leaks, please refer to “Locating & Correcting Water Leaks in Your Home”.