Is it even possible??!!

[HeatherB]

A while back I posted about my $90 water bill. Like I said, my husband forgot that he left the hose on. Well, this lovely water bill is for $230 dollars!!!! (for a month) I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is remotely possible. It says that I have used 19thousand gallons of water. So, I'm trying to figure this out. There are, what?.....43,200 minutes in a 30 month period. If I were to use 19,000 gallons in that time I would have had to use over 2 gallons of water EVERY MINUTE!!! (please correct me if I worked out this little math problem wrong) Is this really possible? Could my dripping sink cause that much damage???

Here's the thing - my water meter used to be on the inside of my fence. A few months back the came and moved it to the outside of my fence. I'm thinking that this is when my problems started but am not sure.

So, what do you think? I just checked the back yard and the hose is not on, the toilet is not running, only the drip in the sink.

**********UPDATE********

Okay, the meter guy just came over and looked at the meter and said it was working fine. Now what?? I called and asked the village hall and the lady said that water was 5.50 and sewer was raised fom 2.50 to 5.00! But this happened back in april so it still should've shown up sooner. She said there was nothing she could do and gave me the number and name for the s/w chairmain in town. He's supposed to call me after he gets home from work. (tonight, maybe tomorrow).

Husband says no matter what we will NOT pay it. He said we should put the money in escrow (to prove that we can pay it, but are disputing it)

So, here's how it may go down. We don't pay the bill on the 15th. They won't shut off the water until on or after the 28th. We are already scheduled to move into new apartment on the 16th of November. If we needed to we could stay at my cousin's for a few weeks. Is this the best way to go?

The neighbor has 3 adults and teenagers living with them and their bill was for only 9,000 gallons of water (which they were upset about being so high). How in the HETT does my 2 adult and 2 small children use DOUBLE that??

My husband is going to be pissed (and yes, he get's ignorant and very mean when pushed into a corner - and has actually made lawyers in courtrooms stammer through their words. He has a way of making people feel like idiots sometimes...lol)

[BassBoy]

A dripping faucet probably wouldn't use that much water in a year! Something is not right.

[BKOnce]

Easy to test if their theory (water company) is correct or not? (by sacrify one gallon of garden water)

1- One person put/hold that same water hose (shut-off) into an empty milk gallon plastic jug;

2- Another person open the same outlet faucet (at same rate as wasted/happened before) and start/synch the stop watch simultaneously.

3- When jug full, STOP faucet, LOOK at watch to see how many minutes spent per gallon? Or stop the faucet at exact one minute even if jug not full to see gallon percentage filled.

4- Now, Convert/Multiply :: No. Jugs (X or /) No. Minutes per day X 30 days = Approximate # of gallons should be correctly wasted.. PER MONTH!! .. It's a lot!!!..

[325Falcon]

Daaaaamn!! I thought my $275 - $300 / quarter H2O and sewer bill was high!

You would be suprised how much a dripping faucet will use!!

[robivi3]

Could you have a leak between the meter and the house?

[lrprn]

So, what do you think? I just checked the back yard and the hose is not on, the toilet is not running, only the drip in the sink.

Challenge the bill. Ask the water company to come out and read the meter again.

I hate to say this, but could it be possible for you to have an underground slow seeping leak in your pipes before they come into the house? How old is your house?

[HeatherB]

Okay, another test. I put a measuring cup under my drip. I got a full cup after 3 minutes. So, I think it's 16 cups to a gallon. That makes 48 minutes per gallon, right? If there are 1440 minutes in a day and I divide that by the 48 gallons I get 30 gallons per day. 30 gallons a day by 30 days in a month is 900 gallons..... right?? Darn these numbers!!! If my calculations are correct, I still see no possible way that we used the left over 18,000 gallons of water.

While I expected our water to be higher due to the drip, it is something that we've always kinda had. Our normal bill is only between 40-60 (at the very most).

Here's the thing, too. I look at the bill and it says that our water is $109 and our sewer is $100! My sewer bill has always been half (or a third of) my total bill. Why all of a sudden is it now at the same cost. It all goes thru one system, I think. How could they measure that? AND also I KNOW that there is no way the toilet was flushed that much. Heck, I'm home all day with my son and I have to fight with him to flush the toilet (tired of the floaters, lol) It's only my husband, my two small children and me living here. Heck, my water bill wasn't even that bad a few years ago when I had two other adults living with us!

I still think it may have something to do with the meter. Like I said, a few months ago (not exactly sure when) they moved my water meter from the inside of my fenced backyard to the outside of the fence. I did call the village hall and complained and she said they don't do the numbers manually and that it is all computers telling them what to enter. Truth is, I don't care what/who/how it was done. I just am in no way going to pay this amount.

[HeatherB]

Challenge the bill. Ask the water company to come out and read the meter again.

I hate to say this, but could it be possible for you to have an underground slow seeping leak in your pipes before they come into the house? How old is your house?

The house was built in the early 1900s. I keep wanting to say 1908 or something. It is very possible, but I figured if that were the case, my yard would be wet. I will say what I have said previously.... I use to love this house, but the more time goes by, the more I dislike it. Can't wait to move. (the town I live in irks me, too).

[Granny]

Here's the thing, too. I look at the bill and it says that our water is $109 and our sewer is $100! My sewer bill has always been half (or a third of) my total bill. Why all of a sudden is it now at the same cost. It all goes thru one system, I think. How could they measure that?

When we lived in town and paid for city water and sewer, the sewer portion of the bill was a percentage of the water used. If the water usage goes up, the sewer part of the bill would go up proportionately. Kinda like what goes up must come down (the sewer pipe, that is)

[arkienurse]

I still think it may have something to do with the meter. Like I said, a few months ago (not exactly sure when) they moved my water meter from the inside of my fenced backyard to the outside of the fence. I did call the village hall and complained and she said they don't do the numbers manually and that it is all computers telling them what to enter. Truth is, I don't care what/who/how it was done. I just am in no way going to pay this amount.

You can still request a manual reading of your meter. Pitch a fit until they do. And look around the meter carefully. It could be a leak from where they moved the meter.

[HeatherB]

updated

crap, I thought if I edited to update, it would have a new post. See original post for update.

[Minnymouth]

Okay folks, I work for a county water district.............

Old houses have galvanized pipes....... they carode over inside, spring leaks at connections, and many are underground 3 feet or more where it wouldn't be noticed. Leaks are pretty common and "many". Every pipe now must be copper or brass.

Toilets are the worst..... you have "silent leaks" in them. Put a drop of food coloring in the back of your tank and see if it comes thru to the bowl. If so you have a "silent leak" and it will use a lot of water. (you will never hear it)....

Your sewer bills are based on the amount of water you use, not what goes thru the sewer lines. And in-town sewer/water districts are the most expensive.

If you have a problem with your water bill, make them check the meter (it has a leak indicator on it). If your still not satisfied, have them test the meter. Meters DO TEAR UP....some even stop!!

If your meter was moved outside the fence recently and now you have a big water bill, the line may have a hole in it!

Of course if its on your side of the meter - it's your responsibility. The water districts are only responsible for the lines going too and at the meter base. Not your line from the meter base to the residence.

Also if you have a really "big bill" - most districts will give you a leak adjustment on your bill. Its usually a "one-time thing" - but they do do it.... all you have to do is ask.

Also they will let you set up a payment plan should you have a big leak you can't pay.

If you rent - your landlord is responsible for the repairs on water lines. Make him pay to have them fixed. He is the property owner.

If you have problems dealing with your water district - contact your local Public Service Commission and let them handle the complaint for you - but first see if the water district and you can settle the problem. If you need the phone number for PSC just call and ask your water district, they are required by law to give it too you.

Water lines can be sensitive. They freeze and bust, they get run over (the bases) and things get broken, and often just a rock will make a hole in a line if a heavy car runs over it.

Many homes still have old galvanized lines inside and out....... they all eventually leak or rust out.

Hope this info helps anyone who has trouble with their local water district and their water lines......

[robivi3]

Welcome to my world, the world of POLYBUTYLENE! I have replumbed the, well, let's say "East Wing" of my residence as i remodeled the bathrooms. I will be replumbing the "West Wing" before the end of the year when the kitchen goes in.

I own the expensive crimper and no joke about $800 in fittings of all kinds. The repair is nothing, just be good with drywall. The pipe is fine, the chlorine eats the plastic fittings and they break, nothing wrong with PB pipe. I have redone everything with brass and PEX.

I live in a pre-Andrew home. If I buy another SoFla home it will be a post Andrew Fortress, we are in Broward and "Miami-Dade County Approved" has be on anything used to build now. Dade has the toughest building codes in the US for Homes.

My only problem with moving to TN is the awful construction of those northern homes. After living in North Miami after the white flight I don't like being in a house where i feel that a bullet can go through the walls, it bothers me.

[dscurlock]

The house was built in the early 1900s. I keep wanting to say 1908 or something. It is very possible, but I figured if that were the case, my yard would be wet. I will say what I have said previously.... I use to love this house, but the more time goes by, the more I dislike it. Can't wait to move. (the town I live in irks me, too).

if it was a slow leak, there would be no reason for it to surface, as it would have time to soak into the ground, you may want to hire a plumber to do some water pressure tests or some sort...

[dscurlock]

A while back I posted about my $90 water bill. Like I said, my husband forgot that he left the hose on. Well, this lovely water bill is for $230 dollars!!!! (for a month) I'm sorry, but I just don't think this is remotely possible. It says that I have used 19thousand gallons of water. So, I'm trying to figure this out. There are, what?.....43,200 minutes in a 30 month period. If I were to use 19,000 gallons in that time I would have had to use over 2 gallons of water EVERY MINUTE!!! (please correct me if I worked out this little math problem wrong) Is this really possible? Could my dripping sink cause that much damage???

Here's the thing - my water meter used to be on the inside of my fence. A few months back the came and moved it to the outside of my fence. I'm thinking that this is when my problems started but am not sure.

So, what do you think? I just checked the back yard and the hose is not on, the toilet is not running, only the drip in the sink.

**********UPDATE********

Okay, the meter guy just came over and looked at the meter and said it was working fine. Now what?? I called and asked the village hall and the lady said that water was 5.50 and sewer was raised fom 2.50 to 5.00! But this happened back in april so it still should've shown up sooner. She said there was nothing she could do and gave me the number and name for the s/w chairmain in town. He's supposed to call me after he gets home from work. (tonight, maybe tomorrow).

Husband says no matter what we will NOT pay it. He said we should put the money in escrow (to prove that we can pay it, but are disputing it)

So, here's how it may go down. We don't pay the bill on the 15th. They won't shut off the water until on or after the 28th. We are already scheduled to move into new apartment on the 16th of November. If we needed to we could stay at my cousin's for a few weeks. Is this the best way to go?

The neighbor has 3 adults and teenagers living with them and their bill was for only 9,000 gallons of water (which they were upset about being so high). How in the HETT does my 2 adult and 2 small children use DOUBLE that??

My husband is going to be pissed (and yes, he get's ignorant and very mean when pushed into a corner - and has actually made lawyers in courtrooms stammer through their words. He has a way of making people feel like idiots sometimes...lol)

to me that does sound possible, if you look at my $50/mo water bill, if i left my hose on for 24/7 for 30 days, I would expect a quite high water bill. you are charged for 2000 gal of water weather you use it or not, im sure most people do use that, now use a little common sense, if i leave the water hose on round the close for a month, well 19,000 gal doesnt quite sound that impossible now, plus on that of that, you may also have leaks as
you said the house was built around 1900, if this house has never been remodeled or new pipes since the last 100 years, i would bet the house does have leaks you maybe unware of.

when i moved into my new mobile home just a few years ago, I did a lot of lawn watering
my first month, my first water bill was 4000 gal...so i think its very possible.