Why is my water bill suddenly high in Covina

A sudden spike in your Covina water bill almost always means water is escaping somewhere between the meter and your fixtures - most often a running toilet, a hidden slab leak, or a failed irrigation valve. The good news: you can isolate the cause in about 15 minutes with a meter test, and a licensed plumber can usually pinpoint the exact leak in under an hour.

We're Covina Citrusline Plumbing, and we've walked hundreds of local homeowners through this exact problem. Below you'll find the step-by-step diagnosis we use, the specific causes we see most in Covina's older housing stock, and what it costs to fix each one in 2026.

The most common reason your Covina water bill spiked

In our experience, roughly 7 out of 10 high-bill calls in Covina trace back to a toilet that's silently leaking from the flapper. A worn flapper lets water trickle from the tank into the bowl 24/7 - you never hear it, but it can waste 200 gallons a day. That's about 6,000 gallons a month, or $60-$120 added to your bill depending on your tier.

Second on the list is a slab leak. Covina has a lot of mid-century homes with copper supply lines running under the concrete foundation. When the soil shifts - and it does here, especially after a dry summer - those pipes can crack. A pinhole slab leak can lose 10,000 gallons a month before you ever see a wet spot on the floor. If you want to understand the full scope of what a slab leak involves, our page on slab leak repair covina CA breaks down the detection and repair process.

Third is irrigation. A broken sprinkler head or a valve that doesn't fully close can run your system every night without you knowing. One stuck valve on a 3/4-inch line can push 15 gallons per minute - that's 900 gallons an hour.

How to find a water leak causing a high bill in Covina

You can find most leaks yourself with a simple two-step meter test. Here's exactly how we do it:

1. Turn off every water-using appliance and fixture in the house. That includes the ice maker, the water softener, the pool auto-fill, and any hose bibs.
2. Find your water meter - usually in a concrete box near the curb. Lift the lid and look at the small triangle or dial labeled "leak indicator." If it's spinning, water is moving.
3. Wait 15 minutes and check again. If the indicator moved at all, you have a leak on the pressurized side of the system.

If the indicator is still, the leak is likely on a drain line or an intermittent fixture - a toilet that only leaks when it refills, for example. In that case, drop a dye tablet (or a few drops of food coloring) into each toilet tank, wait 10 minutes, and look in the bowl. If color appears without flushing, the flapper is the culprit.

For leaks you can't see - under the slab, behind a wall, or under the yard - we use acoustic listening equipment and thermal imaging. That's the same approach we use for any leak detection covina CA job, and it typically takes 30-45 minutes to isolate the source.

Other causes of a high water bill in Covina homes

Not every spike is a leak. Here are the other causes we see regularly in Covina, ranked by how often they show up:

• Faulty water softener. A softener stuck in regeneration mode can run 50-100 gallons per cycle, several times a day. If you hear it running at odd hours, that's a clue.
• Running toilet flapper. Already covered, but worth repeating - it's the #1 cause.
• Dripping faucet or shower valve. A single drip per second wastes about 3,000 gallons a year. That's $30-$60 on your annual bill.
• Pool auto-fill valve stuck open. If you have a pool, check the fill line. A stuck valve can add 500 gallons a day.
• Neighbor's irrigation tied to your meter. Rare, but it happens in older Covina neighborhoods where lines were tapped before the lots were split.
• Rate increase or tier change. Covina's water rates are tiered. If your usage crossed into a higher tier, the same gallons cost more. Check your bill for a rate-change notice.

One more thing: if you've had a sewer line repair covina CA recently, a broken line can sometimes allow groundwater to infiltrate and trigger a higher sewer charge - though that's separate from your water usage line.

What to do about a high water bill in Covina

First, confirm the leak with the meter test above. If the indicator moves, you have a pressurized leak - call a plumber. If it doesn't, check each toilet with dye and inspect every faucet and outdoor spigot for drips.

Second, gather your last three bills. Your water provider can tell you the exact date the spike started. That date often points to the cause - a spike that started after a landscaping project, for example, usually means irrigation.

Third, if you've ruled out fixtures and irrigation, the leak is likely underground or under the slab. That's when you need professional detection. We use electronic listening and pressure testing to find the leak without tearing up your yard or floor.

If you're not sure where to start, our team at plumbing covina CA can run a full diagnostic and give you a flat-rate repair quote before we start any work.

Common mistakes Covina homeowners make

The biggest mistake is waiting. A slab leak that costs $400 to fix today can cause $4,000 in foundation damage if you let it run for three months. Water always wins.

The second mistake is assuming the leak is inside the house. In Covina, we see a lot of leaks in the main line between the meter and the house - that's your responsibility, not the city's. If the meter spins with the house shut off, the leak is on your side of the meter.

The third mistake is hiring the cheapest quote without checking for a license. A licensed plumber carries insurance and pulls permits. An unlicensed handyman can't. If a repair requires a permit and you skip it, you'll pay for it when you sell.

When to call a professional

Call a plumber when the meter test shows water moving with everything off, when you see unexplained wet spots on the floor or baseboards, or when your water bill doubles without a change in usage. Those are the three signals that the leak is hidden and getting worse.

We handle this every day. Covina Citrusline Plumbing is a state-licensed plumbing contractor, and we carry the detection equipment to find leaks without guesswork. We'll tell you what's wrong, what it costs to fix, and we won't leave until the meter is still.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my water bill suddenly high in Covina?

The most common cause is a running toilet flapper, which can waste 200 gallons a day. Other causes include slab leaks, irrigation valve failures, and faulty water softeners. A meter test will tell you if water is moving when everything is off.

How do I find a water leak in Covina CA?

Turn off all fixtures, then watch your water meter's leak indicator for 15 minutes. If it moves, you have a pressurized leak. If it doesn't, dye-test each toilet. For hidden leaks, call a plumber with acoustic detection equipment.

What causes high water bills in Covina homes?

Toilet flappers, slab leaks, irrigation breaks, and water softener malfunctions are the top four. Covina's older housing stock and shifting soil make slab leaks more common here than in newer cities. A rate tier change can also raise your bill without a leak.

Can a plumber help with high water bill in Covina?

Yes. A plumber can run a meter test, isolate the leak, and repair it. We find the source, fix it, and verify the meter stops moving before we leave. Most leak repairs take 1-3 hours.

Get help with plumbing in Covina

If your water bill spiked and you can't find the cause, we can. We'll run a full leak diagnostic and give you a flat-rate quote before we start.

Call Covina Citrusline Plumbing at (626) 767-2111 and we'll get your water bill back to normal.