Water bill tripled

ArmsOfLove · 04-15-2005, 08:15 PM

Our normal water bill is about $45 and this month it was over $140

I had them come out and reread the meter and they said it was accurate

They said we might have a hidden leak somehwere

How would we even go about finding out something like that

cobluegirl · 04-15-2005, 08:28 PM

ikes...did the price of water go up? ours was higher this last time too..but we also pay it 3 months at a time....I just figured our was the diapers I am washing...are you doing more laundry..I guess I would call and have them check again..that is a very big difference.

snlmama · 04-15-2005, 08:43 PM

Does your city have a water conservation department or something like that? This happened to a friend of ours and the water company came out and checked their home for leaks. You may need to call and keep talking to different people until you find someone to help you figure it out.

Mother of Sons · 04-15-2005, 08:51 PM

nt

04-15-2005, 08:59 PM

First thing to do would be to make sure all water is off and then go watch your water meter. It should be still. If not, then you do have a leak someplace.

We had a slow drip with the humidifier on our furnace - it does add up after a while. More notably, we (what's this *we* - I mean DH

) just dug a huge hole 6 feet deep to fix the shut-off valve for our sprinkler system which was leaking 175 gallons a day.

Have you been watering your lawn? Seems like it might be the time of year when that would start for you? Outdoor water consumption is generally the largest part of a homeowner's annual water bill, and I'm guessing that would be even more true in your climate unless you're totally xeriscaped.

Gretchen

milkmommy · 04-15-2005, 09:02 PM

Here some step by step help http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumb.../find_leak.htm

Deanna

ArmsOfLove · 04-15-2005, 09:03 PM

we have irrigation here.

thanks for all the info and ideas--I'm taking notes

AmyDoll · 04-15-2005, 09:05 PM

Ohh Crystal!!! We just had to replace our water main.

that it's not that!!!
http://www.fcwa.org/about/faq.htm This site might be useful - it's our water co.

First turn off all of your water like Gretchen said and check the meter - if it's ticking - Then cut the main. If it's ticking then it's a leak in your main.

If it's not something in your house is running. Toilet? Drip under a sink? Humidifier?

Do you have that blue-poly piping (popular in the late 80s?) Our prob. was although our house was updated with copper pipes - the main wasn't and it was still blue poly.

The good news was the water co. reimbursed us for the water that we didn't use - I understand that this is pretty common!

milkmommy · 04-15-2005, 09:09 PM

If you suspect its the toliet here is an easy way to check..
Remove the toilet tank cover and drip 10 drops of food coloring into the tank. After 15 minutes, check for color in the toilet bowl. If you see any color, your toilet has a leak and should be repaired.

Deanna

04-15-2005, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmsOfLove

we have irrigation here.

Does that mean your irrigation water is separate from the house water? Ours is all the same, and I wasn't sure what you meant by that ....

Gretchen

ArmsOfLove · 04-15-2005, 09:11 PM

dh said he's going to turn off the water main tomorrow morning and check to see if the meter is reading anything. If we have a leak we'll call the home warranty!

I guess we pay for the water for irrigation, but it didn't affect our bills like this before the winter

PurpleButterfly · 04-15-2005, 09:15 PM

We had the same thing happen and it was a leaky toilet! When I called to have the water company come out, someone there told me another common cause is air in the lines, and that you'd know it by a squishing, sputtering sound when you first turn your tap on in the morning. The water company here said they would be responsible for coming out to "clear the lines" if we did hear that sort of noise. Might be something to check out for you?

Hugs on that awful water bill, and prayers that it gets resolved quickly!

04-15-2005, 09:22 PM

Crystal, I'd trying reading the meter both with the water main off and on. (it's late, so forgive me if my logic is faulty here ...) If the main is off and the meter is going, sounds like a problem with the main/shutoff valve itself? Our irrigation problem was discovered with the water main on - it wouldn't have shown up with the main off ....

Gretchen

ArmsOfLove · 04-15-2005, 09:33 PM

Our problem is that the water heater is gas and dh is worried about turning it back on if we turn it off

He's never dealt with a gas water heater. Though we can try the toilet thing--I'm pretty sure there's a leak in the toilet in the master bath, but I think it's been in there since we moved in--or at least a while. I suppose it could have gotten worse though.

04-15-2005, 09:37 PM

I don't know anything about water heaters. Anyhow, I don't think I was clear in my other post. I suggested checking the meter with the main both off and on because you said your DH was going to turn it off. Personally, I think it's more valuable to check it with the water main on. It's more likely that the problem is something in your house, so you'd find that out by looking at the meter when the main is on but nothing is running (and it's guaranteed that everyone will become thirsty and want a drink while you're doing this experiment

).

Anyhow, I'd leave the main on and check it out that way first ....

Gretchen

04-15-2005, 08:15 PM	#1
ArmsOfLove Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 79,607	Water bill tripled Our normal water bill is about $45 and this month it was over $140 I had them come out and reread the meter and they said it was accurate They said we might have a hidden leak somehwere How would we even go about finding out something like that __________________ Crystal "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Maya Angelou

04-15-2005, 08:28 PM	#2
cobluegirl Rose Garden never be afraid of who you were meant to be Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 43,819	Re: Water bill tripled ikes...did the price of water go up? ours was higher this last time too..but we also pay it 3 months at a time....I just figured our was the diapers I am washing...are you doing more laundry..I guess I would call and have them check again..that is a very big difference. __________________ T4/1 ISTJ Enneagram 9 Ds-T4/2 Dd1-T1/4 Dd2-T2/1 The greatest challenge for most of us is believing that we are worthy now, right this minute. Worthiness doesn't have prerequisites. ~Brene Brown "The Gifts of Imperfection"[/CENTER]

04-15-2005, 08:43 PM	#3
snlmama Deactivated Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 3,610	Re: Water bill tripled Does your city have a water conservation department or something like that? This happened to a friend of ours and the water company came out and checked their home for leaks. You may need to call and keep talking to different people until you find someone to help you figure it out.

04-15-2005, 08:51 PM	#4
Mother of Sons Rose Garden My kid shoots laser beams from his hands Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 21,900	Re: Water bill tripled nt

04-15-2005, 08:59 PM	#5
Gretchen Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Water bill tripled First thing to do would be to make sure all water is off and then go watch your water meter. It should be still. If not, then you do have a leak someplace. We had a slow drip with the humidifier on our furnace - it does add up after a while. More notably, we (what's this we - I mean DH ) just dug a huge hole 6 feet deep to fix the shut-off valve for our sprinkler system which was leaking 175 gallons a day. Have you been watering your lawn? Seems like it might be the time of year when that would start for you? Outdoor water consumption is generally the largest part of a homeowner's annual water bill, and I'm guessing that would be even more true in your climate unless you're totally xeriscaped. Gretchen

04-15-2005, 09:02 PM	#6
milkmommy Rose Garden sisters! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sunniest place on Earth and hotter than Phoenix! Might as well be sitting on the sun... Posts: 35,300	Re: Water bill tripled Here some step by step help http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumb.../find_leak.htm Deanna __________________ Deanna wife to Shawn since 2001 mom to a young adult Cecilia , tween Margaret and three I will hold one day in heaven.

04-15-2005, 09:03 PM	#7
ArmsOfLove Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 79,607	Re: Water bill tripled we have irrigation here. thanks for all the info and ideas--I'm taking notes __________________ Crystal "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Maya Angelou

04-15-2005, 09:05 PM	#8
AmyDoll Deactivated Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: State of Grace Posts: 11,062	Re: Water bill tripled Ohh Crystal!!! We just had to replace our water main. that it's not that!!! http://www.fcwa.org/about/faq.htm This site might be useful - it's our water co. First turn off all of your water like Gretchen said and check the meter - if it's ticking - Then cut the main. If it's ticking then it's a leak in your main. If it's not something in your house is running. Toilet? Drip under a sink? Humidifier? Do you have that blue-poly piping (popular in the late 80s?) Our prob. was although our house was updated with copper pipes - the main wasn't and it was still blue poly. The good news was the water co. reimbursed us for the water that we didn't use - I understand that this is pretty common!

04-15-2005, 09:09 PM	#9
milkmommy Rose Garden sisters! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Sunniest place on Earth and hotter than Phoenix! Might as well be sitting on the sun... Posts: 35,300	Re: Water bill tripled If you suspect its the toliet here is an easy way to check.. Remove the toilet tank cover and drip 10 drops of food coloring into the tank. After 15 minutes, check for color in the toilet bowl. If you see any color, your toilet has a leak and should be repaired. Deanna __________________ Deanna wife to Shawn since 2001 mom to a young adult Cecilia , tween Margaret and three I will hold one day in heaven.

04-15-2005, 09:11 PM	#11
ArmsOfLove Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 79,607	Re: Water bill tripled dh said he's going to turn off the water main tomorrow morning and check to see if the meter is reading anything. If we have a leak we'll call the home warranty! I guess we pay for the water for irrigation, but it didn't affect our bills like this before the winter __________________ Crystal "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Maya Angelou

04-15-2005, 09:15 PM	#12
PurpleButterfly Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 15,496	Re: Water bill tripled We had the same thing happen and it was a leaky toilet! When I called to have the water company come out, someone there told me another common cause is air in the lines, and that you'd know it by a squishing, sputtering sound when you first turn your tap on in the morning. The water company here said they would be responsible for coming out to "clear the lines" if we did hear that sort of noise. Might be something to check out for you? Hugs on that awful water bill, and prayers that it gets resolved quickly! __________________ Fighting for my life against Carcinoid Lung Cancer

04-15-2005, 09:22 PM	#13
Gretchen Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Water bill tripled Crystal, I'd trying reading the meter both with the water main off and on. (it's late, so forgive me if my logic is faulty here ...) If the main is off and the meter is going, sounds like a problem with the main/shutoff valve itself? Our irrigation problem was discovered with the water main on - it wouldn't have shown up with the main off .... Gretchen

04-15-2005, 09:33 PM	#14
ArmsOfLove Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 79,607	Re: Water bill tripled Our problem is that the water heater is gas and dh is worried about turning it back on if we turn it off He's never dealt with a gas water heater. Though we can try the toilet thing--I'm pretty sure there's a leak in the toilet in the master bath, but I think it's been in there since we moved in--or at least a while. I suppose it could have gotten worse though. __________________ Crystal "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Maya Angelou

04-15-2005, 09:37 PM	#15
Gretchen Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Water bill tripled I don't know anything about water heaters. Anyhow, I don't think I was clear in my other post. I suggested checking the meter with the main both off and on because you said your DH was going to turn it off. Personally, I think it's more valuable to check it with the water main on. It's more likely that the problem is something in your house, so you'd find that out by looking at the meter when the main is on but nothing is running (and it's guaranteed that everyone will become thirsty and want a drink while you're doing this experiment ). Anyhow, I'd leave the main on and check it out that way first .... Gretchen

X vBulletin 3.8.3 Debug Information
Page Generation 0.16371 seconds Memory Usage 7,922KB Queries Executed 16 (?)
More Information
Template Usage: (1)SHOWTHREAD (1)ad_footer_end (1)ad_footer_start (1)ad_header_end (1)ad_header_logo (1)ad_navbar_below (1)ad_showthread_beforeqr (1)ad_showthread_firstpost (1)ad_showthread_firstpost_sig (1)ad_showthread_firstpost_start (1)bbcode_quote (1)cyb_flashimagebanners (1)footer (1)forumjump (1)forumrules (1)gobutton (1)header (1)headinclude (1)navbar (3)navbar_link (60)option (1)pagenav (1)pagenav_curpage (1)pagenav_pagelink (15)post_groan_box (1)post_groan_javascript (1)post_groan_navbar_search (15)post_thanks_box (1)post_thanks_javascript (1)post_thanks_navbar_search (15)postbit_legacy (11)postbit_onlinestatus (71)postbit_reputation (15)postbit_wrapper (4)showthread_bookmarksite (1)smqre_editor_button (1)spacer_close (1)spacer_open (1)tagbit_wrapper Phrase Groups Available: global inlinemod postbit posting reputationlevel showthread	Included Files: ./showthread.php ./global.php ./includes/init.php ./includes/class_core.php ./includes/config.php ./includes/functions.php ./includes/class_hook.php ./includes/functions_notice.php ./mobiquo/smartbanner.php ./mobiquo/include/classTTConnection.php ./mobiquo/smartbanner/head.inc.php ./includes/functions_bigthree.php ./includes/class_postbit.php ./includes/class_bbcode.php ./includes/functions_reputation.php ./includes/adminfunctions_template.php ./includes/functions_misc.php ./includes/functions_post_thanks.php ./includes/functions_post_groan.php Hooks Called: init_startup cache_permissions fetch_threadinfo_query fetch_threadinfo fetch_foruminfo style_fetch cache_templates global_start parse_templates fetch_musername notices_check_start global_setup_complete showthread_start template_groups template_safe_functions template_compile showthread_getinfo forumjump showthread_post_start showthread_query_postids showthread_query bbcode_fetch_tags bbcode_create showthread_postbit_create postbit_factory postbit_display_start post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_start post_thanks_function_post_thanks_off_end post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_start post_thanks_function_fetch_thanks_end post_thanks_function_thanked_already_start post_thanks_function_thanked_already_end post_groan_function_post_groan_off_start post_groan_function_post_groan_off_end post_groan_function_fetch_groans_start post_groan_function_fetch_groans_end post_groan_function_groaned_already_start post_groan_function_groaned_already_end reputation_image bbcode_parse_start postbit_imicons bbcode_parse_complete_precache bbcode_parse_complete postbit_display_complete error_fetch pagenav_page pagenav_complete tag_fetchbit_complete forumrules showthread_bookmarkbit navbits navbits_complete showthread_complete
Messages: