City of Goodyear
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High Water Bill?
High Consumption Troubleshooting
Looking for tips on GHOST leaks? Scroll down to indoor & outdoor leaks below.
Not sure who provides water in your area?
Use this Water & Sewer Service Map to find out.
Do you have an unusually high water bill?
A high water bill indicates high water usage on your property. The most common area of water waste is outdoor irrigation, but indoor leaks and pool issues can also create invisible water consumption problems. (Leaks on the city side do not affect billing as water does not run through the meter.)
The following checklist can help you troubleshoot possible causes and/or identify potential leaks on your property:
(Click on each section below for more information.)
What's a water emergency?
Contact After-Hours Water-Related Emergencies anytime, day or night, at 623-932-3010, Option 3 for issues such as:
- an unexpected (non-billing related) water outage at your home or business (within the Goodyear Water service area)
- to report a main break or any major water flow in a public right-of-way
- to request a temporary turn-off due to urgent water issues or plumbing repairs
For non-emergency issues such as meter leaks or if you've been turned off due to non-payment:
Call Customer Service, weekdays, 8am-4:30pm, at 623-882-7887, option 6.
Has your water service been turned off due to non-payment?
- You must speak to a Utilities Customer Service Representative during their regular office hours to re-establish service.
- Phone Hours: M-F, 8AM - 4:30PM
- Dial 623-882-7887, option 6
- Calling before 8AM will connect you to Water Emergency personnel.
- This team is not able to assist with restoring water service due to any non-payment issues.
- To avoid interruption of service, payment must occur prior to the Service Termination Notice deadline.
For 24/7 automated system access, call 623-882-7373 or sign up for the Citizen Self Service (CSS) portal here.
- Most likely, no. It is extremely rare for a water meter to over-record water usage. It is more likely that an older meter will slow down and under-record usage if it has been in service for an extended period of time.
- You may choose to submit a Meter Test Form, however, you will be charged for all meter testing costs if the meter is found not to be over-recording. The city therefore recommends that you request a meter test ONLY AFTER a you have completed the following troubleshooting steps and as a last resort to trouble shooting.
Use this Water & Sewer Service Map to find out who your provider is.
- Goodyear Water customers:
- Login to Citizen Self-Serve to view your billing history.
- Compare your latest bill(s) with past bills to determine if the charges are due to abnormally high water consumption or something else.
- If charges are related to something else, such as sewer, meter, or late fees, you can rule out high consumption.
- See the rates page for more information on rates and charges.
- If the consumption in gallons is higher than usual, or if you already know you have a leak on your property but need more help to find the issue, continue to the next steps.
The most common hidden leaks or over usage occurs outside, often in the pool equipment or landscape irrigation.
If after working through these troubleshooting steps you discover you have an irrigation issue, you can request some additional courtesy assistance from our Water Conservation team. Complete a Home Water Check Request for more information. (Appointments are limited.)
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Pool auto-fill valve is stuck on. (5,000 – 70,000 gal/month)
- Symptom: Pool level appears higher than normal but typically will not overflow. If the auto-fill valve is still running strong despite the high level, then it’s broken.
- Fix: Shut off the water to the pool auto-fill. This is usually located near a hose bib on the exterior of the home. Then replace and re-adjust the auto-fill.
- Irrigation valve is stuck on. (1,000 – 100,000+ gal/month)
- Symptom: Drip seems to be running off-schedule or never shuts off, even when your timer is off. Water will usually will not collect in huge puddles because the soil is slowly taking it all in.
- Fix: Shut off the water to the irrigation system. Usually located near your main water connection on the front or side of the house. Then replace the faulty valve found in a tan or green box in the ground.
- Note: The rest of your irrigation system cannot run if your main line is shut off. Prioritize this repair if occurring in the warmest months.
- Irrigation schedule has changed. (Can be any amount of gal/month)
- Symptom: Soil stays damp throughout the yard. Plants grow excessively fast causing undue maintenance concerns.
- Fix: Adjust the schedule, typically by reducing the number of days the timer is set to water. More information can be found at Water Use It Wisely.
- You can also request a free Home Water Check from someone on our Water Conservation Team. They may be able to offer some tips for your settings. (Home Water & Irrigation Checks are only available to Goodyear Water customers.)
- Service Line is leaking. (1,000-50,000+ gal/month)
- Symptom: With all the main valves on the side of your home shut off, the water meter continues to spin.
- Fix: A plumbing contractor will need to detect and repair this line between your home and the meter box.
Frequently, invisible indoor leaks drain to the sewer, and so they are not as easy to detect.
Troubleshoot to determine if any of the following common indoor leaks apply to your home situation:
- Toilet float or flapper malfunction. (1,000 – 80,000 gal/month)
- Symptom: when dye is dropped in the tank, the color makes its way to the bowl without flushing. This indicates water is flowing through the toilet constantly. Request an Informational Brochure and Home Conservation Kit.
- Fix: Repair or adjust the toilet float or replace the inside parts.
- Re-check with dye after repair.
- Water softener malfunction. (10,000 - 100,000 gal/month)
- Symptom: drain line from the softener (usually near your washing machine) has water constantly flowing through it. Or you hear this running nearly every night.
- Fix: Call your water treatment service provider for your water softener service maintenance.
- not every home has a water softener. If you do have one, it’s usually in your garage.
- not every home has a water softener. If you do have one, it’s usually in your garage.
- Reverse osmosis malfunction. (1,000 – 5,000 gal/month)
- Symptom: RO makes a soft hissing noise continuously, even several hours after last use.
- Fix: call your water treatment service provider for your Reverse Osmosis. Often, this is the result of a failed check valve. Sometimes just a filter replacement is needed.
If you’ve checked all of these outdoor and indoor troubleshooting steps, it is recommended that you consider calling a plumber for additional help.
Additionally, you may contact our customer service department at 623-882-7887 to learn how to request a data log report, which can provide insightful information on water usage at your home.
Once you have located the leak(s), we recommend that you complete a Water Use Estimate to determine how much water you should reasonably expect to use each month.
- When you complete the Water Use Estimate you also become to be eligible to receive a Flume Smart Home Water Device! This WiFi connected device can help avoid similar situations in the future.
- Fill out this short questionnaire to get started! A Water Conservation specialist will follow up with you after submitting.