A spiking water bill with no obvious cause is almost always a hidden leak. Here are the 7 most common culprits in Round Rock homes — and exactly what to check before you call a plumber.
If your Round Rock water bill has jumped and your household usage hasn't changed, you almost certainly have a hidden leak. In Central Texas, the combination of aging pipe stock, expansive clay soil, and some of the hardest water in the state makes leaks especially common — and especially costly if ignored.
Here are the 7 hidden leaks we find most often in Round Rock and Williamson County homes, ordered from easiest to spot to the most devious.
1. A running toilet
A toilet that runs silently can waste hundreds of gallons a day. Drop a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait 15 minutes — if color appears in the bowl, your flapper is leaking.
2. A dripping faucet or showerhead
One drip per second wastes over 3,000 gallons a year. It's cheap to fix and pays for itself fast.
3. A slab leak under your foundation
Central Texas clay soil shifts seasonally and stresses the supply lines in your slab. Warm spots on the floor or a meter that won't stop moving are red flags.
4. A leaking water heater
A slow weep from the TPR valve or tank base often goes unnoticed in a garage — until it fails catastrophically.
5. An underground supply line leak
A wet patch in the yard with no irrigation running is a classic sign.
6. A failing irrigation system
A cracked sprinkler head or broken zone line can dump water underground for weeks.
7. A hidden pipe joint failure behind a wall
Discolored drywall, musty odors, or soft flooring point to a joint that has let go inside a wall cavity.
What to do right now
Turn off every fixture in the house and watch your water meter for 15 minutes. If it moves, you have a leak. Call BlueDrop Plumbing for professional electronic leak detection — we pinpoint it without tearing up your home.
- Turn off all water-using fixtures
- Watch the meter for 15 minutes
- If it moves — call for leak detection
- Move valuables away from any wet area
BlueDrop Plumbing Co.
Licensed Master Plumbers · Round Rock, TX
Have a plumbing question or need service in Round Rock or Williamson County? We're licensed, local, and available 24/7.