Your habits haven't changed, but your water bill jumped. That's one of the most common calls we get in Cibolo, and the answer is almost always the same: water is escaping somewhere you can't see. Here are the seven usual culprits, roughly in order of how often we find them.
1. A running or leaking toilet
The number-one hidden water-waster. A worn flapper or fill valve can leak hundreds of gallons a day — silently. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank; if color shows up in the bowl within 10–15 minutes without flushing, the toilet is leaking. A simple fixture repair usually fixes it.
2. A slab leak
A leak in a supply line under your foundation can run constantly. Warning signs include a warm spot on the floor, the sound of running water with everything off, and unexplained damp carpet. A slab leak needs professional detection — never let anyone break concrete to 'go look.'
3. An underground service line leak
The line bringing water from your meter to the house can develop a break, especially in our shifting clay soil. A soggy patch in the yard, a drop in pressure, or a meter that spins with no water running points here. See our water line repair page for how we locate and fix these.
4. A dripping faucet or fixture
- A single drip per second wastes thousands of gallons a year
- Worn cartridges and washers are cheap to replace
- Outdoor hose bibs are easy to overlook — check them too
5. An irrigation system leak
A cracked sprinkler line or stuck valve can waste enormous amounts, often unnoticed because it runs early in the morning. If your bill spikes in sprinkler season, start here.
6. A failing water heater
A tank leaking from the bottom or a stuck T&P valve dribbling constantly adds up. If your heater is older and you see moisture around it, have it checked — it may be time for a water heater repair or replacement.
7. A leak inside a wall
Pinhole leaks in supply lines inside walls can run for weeks before staining shows. Musty smells, warm or damp drywall, and a creeping bill are the clues. This is where professional leak detection earns its keep.
How we find the hidden one
We confirm a leak with a meter check and pressure test, then pinpoint it with acoustic listening and infrared imaging — so we open the smallest possible area, not your whole floor. Homeowners across Cibolo and Universal City call us exactly when the bill spikes and nothing visible explains it.
Don't wait on a spiking bill
A high bill is water — and often damage — happening right now. The sooner we locate it, the less you pay in both. Call (831) 290-4327 for leak detection in Cibolo.
How We Track Down an Invisible Leak
Finding a hidden leak is a process of elimination, and we work it methodically so we open the smallest possible area. We start at the meter to confirm water is moving with everything off, then isolate zones — shutting the house main to separate an underground service-line leak from one inside the home, testing the irrigation separately, and dye-testing toilets. Only once we've narrowed the zone do we bring in acoustic listening and infrared to pinpoint the exact spot.
That discipline is what saves you money. A plumber who starts cutting drywall or breaking slab without isolating the zone first is guessing with your house. By the time we open anything, we know where the water is going — so the repair is targeted, the restoration is minimal, and you're not paying to patch exploratory holes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Turn off every fixture and water-using appliance, then check your water meter. If it's still moving, water is escaping somewhere. You can also compare your usage to prior months on the bill itself — a jump with no change in habits almost always means a hidden leak.
A lot. A running toilet alone can waste hundreds of gallons a day, and an underground service-line break can run constantly. That's why a sudden bill spike is worth acting on immediately — the waste and any resulting damage are happening every hour until it's found and fixed.
Occasionally, yes — a misread meter or an estimated bill can cause a one-time spike. But a sustained jump with no change in habits almost always means real usage, i.e., a leak. The meter test settles it: if the dial moves with everything off, water is escaping and it's not a billing error.
Cibolo Pro Plumbing
Licensed Texas plumbers (TX Master Plumber (TSBPE)) based in Cibolo, serving the Metrocom for 15+ years. Have a question about your home's plumbing? Call (831) 290-4327.
