Start with the meter, not the bill
Before assuming a leak, check the water meter directly. Most meters have a small leak indicator, often a triangular or star-shaped dial, that moves whenever water is flowing anywhere in the house. With every fixture off, that indicator should be completely still. If it's moving, water is going somewhere, whether or not anyone can see it.
The most common culprits, from simple to serious
A running toilet is the single most common cause of an unexplained bill increase, and often the easiest to fix, usually a worn flapper valve that isn't sealing properly against the flush valve seat. A toilet that runs continuously can waste hundreds of gallons a day without ever overflowing or making an obvious sound loud enough to notice casually. Repairs of this kind follow the same Florida Building Code, Plumbing standard applied to every job on this site.
Beyond the toilet, a dripping faucet, an irrigation line leak, and a slab leak are the next most likely explanations, roughly in that order of how often they turn out to be the actual cause. A slab leak specifically is the one that requires professional detection, since it's invisible until it's caused visible damage.
Why older homes see this more often
Homes built before 1980 in this area commonly still have original cast-iron or galvanized supply lines, which corrode internally over decades and eventually develop exactly the kind of hidden leak that shows up as a water bill increase before anything else. This isn't a sign of poor construction. It's simply the expected lifespan of that pipe material finally catching up.
A simple way to narrow it down at home
Turn off every fixture and appliance that uses water, then check the meter. If it's still moving, something is actively leaking. Next, shut off the water supply to the toilets specifically and check again. If the meter stops, a running toilet is the likely cause. If it keeps moving, the leak is elsewhere, and that's the point to call for a professional check rather than keep guessing.
When to stop investigating and call someone
If the simple checks above don't identify an obvious cause, or if the meter keeps moving with everything off and every toilet isolated, that's the signal a slab leak or another hidden issue is the likely explanation, and it's worth a professional leak detection visit rather than waiting for the next bill to confirm the pattern.
A quick reference for narrowing down the cause
If the meter stops moving once toilets are isolated, the toilet is the cause. If it keeps moving with toilets isolated but stops when the irrigation system is shut off separately, that's the culprit. If it keeps moving regardless of what's isolated inside and outside the house, a slab leak or another hidden supply-line issue is the more likely explanation, and that's the point to call for professional detection rather than continue troubleshooting alone.
Why some leaks never show up on a casual walkthrough
A leak inside a wall cavity, under a slab, or along an underground irrigation line can run for months without producing a single visible sign inside the home. The water either evaporates before pooling, drains away into surrounding soil, or gets absorbed by materials before becoming visibly wet. This is exactly why the water bill, not a visual inspection, is often the very first real evidence something is wrong.
Reading your Pompano Beach water meter
The City of Pompano Beach reads meters electronically by radio and says it no longer sends a meter reader. It asks owners not to let grass and landscaping overgrow the meter box, which also makes your own checks easier.
The City's leak test is simple. Take a meter reading, use no water for one hour, then read it again. If the reading has changed, the City says you have a leak. For questions about the bill itself, contact the City's customer service through the details on your bill.
We also send technicians to Margate and Coconut Creek. See our Margate plumber and Coconut Creek plumber pages for details on those areas.