We understand opening up any bill that comes in the mail/your email is not anyone’s cup of tea. Though some utility companies in Texas do a great job at breaking down the different charges with data and graphs to show you month to month activity, it is perfectly okay for you to not understand what every single charge in your bill is. That is why today, as plumbers in Dallas, we are going to talk about one of those charges and ask the question: Why is my sewer bill so high?
To first understand why your sewer bill is so high we all should recap what the difference between your sewer and water charges actually is. A water bill charge is any clean water that you are using that comes out of your shower, faucets, sinks, dishwasher, toilets, washing machine and your refrigerator. A sewage bill is the opposite, it is the waste water going down our drains from any of the above. Both water and sewer bills are usually charged by the gallon.
This leads us to answer the question, why is my sewer bill so high? It is all about the waste water. We are going to list a few examples that we as homeowners should know for the most part and ways in which we can prevent all of them from getting out of control.
1. Long showers. We do hate to start with this one because we are all guilty of it. Sometimes before or after a long day of work, the hot water hits us just right and we just want to stay in there for as long as we can. It is relaxing so we do not blame you. Unfortunately, it is also a big culprit as to why your sewer bill is so high.
The Solution: Take shorter showers. Time yourself and you will see just how much water is being wasted even as we wait for the water to heat up. Think of it this way, a typical shower dumps out about 2 gallons every minute it is on. The longer you have that water running the faster those gallons will add up
2. Washing your dishes. If we follow the 2 gallons a minute rule then hand washing your dishes is really one of the most wasteful ways of water spending and will surely bring your sewer bill up.
The Solution: You probably have heard this from an older member of the family: dishwashers waste too much water. This was once true a very long time ago, but lucky for us it is 2022 and dishwashers are far more efficient than they once were. Rinse your dishes, pots, pans and utensils before putting them in your dishwasher rack and here is the trick, you want to wait until the dishwasher is full in order to run it. You will use less water and all your dishes will be cleaned at once.
3. Your Washing Machine. Even if you have an efficient model of washing machine chances are you are going to be using a lot of water regardless. If you have an older model washing machine we recommend replacing it with a newer model as this will save you money over time. An efficient new washing machine uses about 18-30 gallons per load, with older models it is more.The Solution: If you can’t run out and get a new washing machine we understand.
The solution would be to do less loads of laundry. It is convenient to wash small loads every so often but not economical. Wait till a day of the week when you can toss every bit of laundry you have at once to reduce the amount of water you are going to use.
4. Toilet flushes. Toilet’s waste a considerable amount of water per flush. Luckily there are a few solutions to this.
The Solution: Option 1 is to go out and buy a dual flush toilet which uses about 20% less water than the older conventional toilets. It gives you the option to use water depending on if you went 1 or 2. As we probably figured out you do not need the same amount of water to get rid of both. Option 2 and one that you can probably do right now is displacing some of the tank water by filling up a half gallon plastic jug with something with some weight like small rocks. Seal this and place it inside your toilet tank. This reduces the amount of water it takes up to refill your toilet tank and in turn helps you save water.
We sincerely hope that this blog entry helps a lot of you out there save money and finally lays to rest the question: why is my sewer bill so high? At Metro-Flow Plumbing we strive to offer the best customer care and support and that is why our blog exists. To supply you with tips and advice for all your plumbing needs. Stay tuned, as next week we will discuss another plumbing topic. Until then, take care of yourself Dallas!
