Undetected Leaks Are Causing Your High Water Bills – Here’s How to Save €1,000s

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS IN JAVEA & SURROUNDING TOWNS

Have you ever been hit with a high water bill?

You’re not alone.

Below are 3 monthly water bills we’ve seen in Javea for:

• €777
• €1,018
• €1,160

One of the bills was for a month when the owner wasn’t even in Spain.

Why does this happen?

In 90% of cases it’s an undetected water leak.

This could be from:

• Taps left on
• Hoses left running
• Leaks from faulty, rusted or broken pipework

The last one is to blame for the highest water bills we’ve seen in Javea and the surrounding regions.

In this post, you’ll find out how to save €100s and €1,000s with the new-and-improved MiAgua V2 early water loss detection device.

Why do water leaks go undetected?

If you’ve ever had a high water bill then you probably suspected it’s a leak.

At least, at first sight.

I went through Javea Connect in May 2024 to find all comments related to high water bills.

Here are 5 screenshots from 20+ complaints I found within minutes of searching:

You’ll notice a theme here.

Homeowners get a huge water bill…they check taps and hoses…but they can’t find evidence of any leaks.

They think the problem is:

• A malfunctioning water valve?
• A hidden charge?
• A mistake?

But 90% of the time the cause is an undetected water leak – i.e. one that is hidden from view.

Undetected water leaks are a huge problem in Spain.

Last year it was estimated that 15% of water destined for public use is lost due to old or faulty piping.

Villas in Spain are very prone to undetected water leaks.

This is especially true if you have:

• Underground water piping
• Old, rusted pipes
• A swimming pool
• An irrigation system

You might check all your taps, hoses and bathroom but not find any sign of a leak.

You think there’s a mistake.

But it’s the pipes leading to your taps, hoses and bathroom that are leaking euros into the ground.

We’ve found leaks under tiles inside a homeowner’s house.

We’ve found them in walls.

We’ve found them under lawns.

The image below shows a hole we found in a client’s piping that cost them €1,900.

The image below shows a broken pipe connected to a client’s tap which tripled their bill due to an undetected water leak.

We found it and installed a MiAgua device for them.

The image below shows homeowner in Moraira who had an undetected water leak under the front garden.

How to stop undetected water leaks for good?

You cant stop leaks or excessive water usage happening.

You could try and read your water meter every day or once every few days, but for most that is not a practical solution.

The key is to detect the problem quickly before it becomes a big bill.

So how can you detect water leaks quickly and save you the most money?

Early water loss detection is the answer.

It’s a solution that alerts you whenever you have unexpected water usage at your home.

You get an alert on your phone.

This allows you to be notified of a leak or excessive use quickly so you can instruct someone to shut of the water and investigate the problem, saving you €100s or even €1,000s in bills before it’s too late.

Introducing MiAgua V2

MiAgua V2 is our new-and-improved early water loss detection device.

Our previous device was imported from Russia but trade restrictions forced us to suspend all new installations in February 2022.

After many months and significant investment…MiAgua V2 is finally available.

How MiAgua V2 works in 3 steps

Step 1 – Flow sensor

Our new flow sensor will be fitted to your water supply near your water metre.

This sensor monitors the flow of water into your property.

Installation is quick and can take place within one day.

You don’t need to replace or affect any part of your current water valve or metre.

Step 2 – Transmitter & gateway

A transmitter with a 300m range is installed (attached to the flow metre) to send data to a receiving gateway in your villa.

The gateway is connected by cable to your router.

This means the system operates without relying on WiFi and ensures real-time transmission of data picked up by the flow sensor.

In the past, MiAgua V1 could only transmit usage data once every 24 hours.

But the new MiAgua V2 transmits usage data every hour to the cloud.

Faster transmission means you detect new leaks almost instantly and save more money.

Step 3 – The MiAgua app

MiAgua V2 now supports user configurable warnings in addition to built-in slow leak and burst leak detection alerts.

Warnings can be configured to advise you of high usage that is not a leak, but you still want to know about it.

For example, the irrigation timer is not programmed correctly or has not changed from a winter to summer program.

We can help you set the configurable warnings up.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does MiAgua V2 cost?

We’ve seen many excessive water bills in Javea – the average is around the €600 mark.

Sometimes clients complain of bills at €250 and on occasion they can be as high as €1,000.

We believe MiAgua V2 offers great value for money for anyone with a villa in Javea and surroundings.

For example, one of our clients had a water bill of €250 every month for a 12 month period.

After installing MiAgua his water bills fell to €30.

So we saved him at least €2,640 in the first year with us.

Another client was not at home when his gardener left the tap on.

His monthly bill could have easily been €500+.

But got an alert from MiAgua and got a neighbour to switch the tap off.

We had another client with a well and water deposit who got an unexpected bill for €472.

After installing MiAgua the bill dropped down to a regular €80.

That’s a saving of €390 in the first month.

As it happens…€390 is the standard price for a miagua installation and 12-month subscription to the smartphone app.

But the real cost depends on the location of your water meter, as extra labour may be needed to install the miagua device.

For an accurate idea click below to get a quote.

Where do you install?

MiAgua is currently only available in the Marina Alta region of the Costa Blanca North.

We can install in the following towns:

• Javea
• Denia
• Benissa
• Cumbre del Sol
• Benitachell
• Teulada-Moraira
• Gata de Gorgos
• Jesus Pobre
• Pedregeur
• Orba
• Ondara
• El Vergel

Can’t I just read the metre myself?

You might be asking: “Can’t I just check the metre if I think I have a leak?”

And you could.

One solution is to turn off all taps and hoses and see if your water metre is still turning.

But…

How do you know you have an undetected water leak unless you check every single day?

Most of the time, property owners have no idea they have a leak until they get their monthly bill and it’s €100-€1,000 higher than normal.

With MiAgua you get 24-7 early water loss detection without you needing to waste time.

Just check notifications in your phone.

If I fix faulty piping why do I still need MiAgua V2?

You could argue you only need MiAgua to stop one leak, which you fix, and then don’t need it again.

But…there are many pipes at your property which could leak at any moment.

Also, our clients don’t only use MiAgua for undetected water leaks.

For example, one client was not at home when his gardener left the tap on.

This was quickly fixed thanks to an alert from MiAgua.

Another client left a hose on in the garden and left his property for a few weeks.

His neighbour switched it off following an alert via MiAgua.

Won’t insurance cover high bills from a water leak?

Some insurance companies may cover you for water leaks.

But not all.

Be aware you must have documentation proving the source of the leak, you must have a legally registered plumber fix it, and then give all this information to your insurance provider.

None of this guarantees your claim will be successful.

If the leak is from a hose or tap or irrigation system then you can’t claim this back.

We believe it’s easier, cheaper and less time-intensive to use an early water loss detection device like MiAgua.

Can’t I claim money back from the water company?

Some water companies may agree to refund a small amount of the bill up to 20%.

But these companies do not have to and will only do so after you have provided full evdence of the leak and the associated repair.

Normally, once the water has passed through your metre any usage your responsibility.

In many regions the water metre is read every two months.

So not even the water company is aware you have a high bill or potential leak until it’s too late. By this time they have already sent you the bill.

Will MiAgua affect my water metre?

No.

MiAgua V2 does not interfere with the metre from your water supplier or any pipework.

The water flow sensor is fitted on your side of the pipework, after the shut-off valve.

What if I’m not at home when a leak is detected?

You will receive an email and/or a message to the contact details you provide in the MiAgua app.

The app allows you to setup other contact to receive the alerts – i.e. your neighbour, gardener, pool maintenance supplier, property manager, etc.

You can then arrange to have a local contact check your property for taps or hoses left running.

If none is found you can ask your contact to shut the water valve off for you.

You can then find the leak when you return.

MiAgua also offers a remote shut-off valve which you can have us install for you as an optional add-on.

Does MiAgua V2 need WiFi or electrical power?

No.

MiAgua V2 uses its own inbuilt radio to send data information up to 300m to the gateway device in your villa.

It uses two 9 volt batteries estimated to last 12 months.

The MiAgua app will send you a warning when your batteries are running low.

Can I cancel the service at any time?

Yes.

You can cancel the MiAgua service at any time.

If it’s after the first year, and if you have more than 6 months left on your monitoring service contract, then you can receive a €45 refund on the €120 annual subscription cost.

Final Thoughts: Use MiAgua V2 to save €1,000s in undetected water leaks

I’m not joking when I say I have seen a monthly water bill from Denia for €9,960.

Of course this is an extreme bill.

But it’s sadly very common to get a monthly bill that’s €100-500 higher than normal.

• We’ve had clients receive a €1,000 bill two months in a row…
• We’ve had clients pay €250 a month for 12 months when they should be paying €30…
• We’ve had clients get a €600 bill two or three times a year for undetected leaks, hoses left on and taps not turned off…

This is why you can save €100s and €1,000s of euros with MiAgua V2 early water loss detection device.

But there’s one more thing.

MiAgua clients find that when they see their water usage they start to control it better and save more per month than the cost of our monitoring service – even if they never get a leak or high water usage issue.

Interested to find out more?

Want to get started?

Click below to get a quote