Just got my water bill. It says 16500 gallons in 93 days. That is 177 gallons per day. I am beginning to wonder if that is possible. Every bill seems to show usage somewhat higher than the last one. I am not standing in the shower for an hour every morning. If there was a leak out in the yard wouldn't there be a soggy area? Thanks.
Not if your ground is porous enough. Pick a time when you don't need water, like overnight or when everyone is at work. Turn off the ice maker and anything else you have that might use water. Check the meter. Check it again at the end of the day or in the morning.
You have a leak. Just keep ignoring it, and pay the bill. Wait until you find a soggy area to do anything. Then pay that bill, and the following ones until the water pressure is insufficient to take a shower. Then call around and see if you can find someone to fix it.
Or, fix it before the multi-hundred dollar bills arrive. How many clues do you need?
Sure it is possible. Comes out to almost 65000gallons a year.
My family of 4 *averages* that over the last 10years-- but has used twice that one year when I had a construction project going on. We don't water lawns very often-- car washes are infrequent and only in summer. The laundry gets a workout-- and I just finished raising 2 kids. [well-- sort of finished. got some finishing touches to do, but otherwise their 'done'.
How many folks in your house? How long have you been there?
Where is your meter? Any buried leaks would not show on mine. The meter is in the basement & I don't have any irrigation lines.
Jim
On Fri, 8 Jan 2010 12:19:11 -0800 (PST), Davej wrote Re High water usage?:
I seem to recall from research I did years ago that average *in-house* is about 100 gals/day/pers for washing, flushing, etc.
That's consistent with my own use.
How many people in your household?
Davej wrote the following:
According to my water softener, I use an average of 122 gallons a day. There are three of living here. 2 are women.
122 gals x 93 days would be 11345 gals..
When your house falls into a sink hole you will know where the water went.
I respectfully disagree to the posters saying "look for soggy ground and other "outside the home" ... Perhaps I am missing something here, but the water meter is read on the side of the house or in colder climates inside the house , generally basement... The owner of the home will pay based on what his meter is reading at the end of the month....So based on that a water main break outside the home wouldn't be read on the meter..... perhaps the OP could tell us in what location and proximity to the house his meter is? If the meter is 20 of 30 feet away from the home then yes these possibilities of him paying for a water break underground to the home is possible...If his meter is in the home then he is obviously using that amount of water. Another point is the meter may be old and could be running out of calibration. Lots of other points to think about besides looking for wet spots... Just my .02 cents worth... Jim
Davej wrote in news:bd3d4162-b988-43f9-8357- snipped-for-privacy@k19g2000yqc.googlegroups.com:
Where is the meter located? Do you have a shutoff for the main near or within the meter?
For instance, there can be a shutoff right at the meter which may be curbside and then a type of shutoff within the house.
I'm not sure it's worth that much.
All meters are at the property line where I live. Leaks cost you big time.
Turn off everything that uses water or the main water valve in the house. Take a couple readings a few hours apart. if any water is used, a leak is likely. Looking for wet spots is kind of pointless.
Not always. My water meter is near the curb. It's fifty or more feet before the line gets to the house.
I could add - the pipe I replaced last summer was leaking right where it went through the concrete basement wall. Apparently the concrete is hard on galvanized pipe.
In a two-person household where I also wash a lot of fabric as part of my business, we use less than 25,000 gallons a year. Don't know how much less, we always pay the $40 minimum yearly fee. So...I'm guessing you have a leak.
Also check the pressure. If it went up, it could account for extra water being used.
A toilet with a leaky flap or fill valve can waste a few hundred gallons a day.
This is probably climate dependent -- where it freezes the pipes have to be at least 4-6 feet below ground (sometimes more), and the meter is usually located in a basement or above-ground heated space (I remember a wire going to a remote read point outside the house in Connecticut).
Here in central CA where it doesn't freeze, our meter is under a cover next to the street, and the main supply pipe comes out of the ground and goes into the side of the house. That wouldn't last long in the Northeast!
Josh
Here in Denver, my meter is outside near the curb. The main water line is approx. 4 feet deep, but the meter is right below ground level. They have a vertical input line to the meter and the another vertical pipe for output from the meter that drops down about 4 feet, which then runs to the house. I guess they design the meter not to freeze.
Rob
Is your water meter at the curb, or in the cellar?
One Quick N Simple test for water leak, is to put food coloring in the toilet tanks. If the food coloring goes into the bowl (without being flushed) you have a leaky toilet. Leaky toilets are both common, and use a LOT of water.
My meter has a little spinner on it . You dont have to be using hardly any water at all to see it move. Turn off everything in the house and see if it still moves
Jimmie
Just checked our usage for 35 days. 2450 gallons. No lawn watering at this time of year. Lots of showers and clothes washing and dish washer use is 3 loads every 2 days. Also use a osmosis filter for drinking and cooking water and as much goes down the drain as to the quantity that is kept. WW
Same here. A former neighbor (single person household) had a big jump in his bill. The street meter dial (red needle) was spinning to beat the band. The supply line was broken from the street to the house, because of tree roots.
No obvious water at the surface or wet spots. He had the plumber put in a new line @ $75.00 per hour.
The tree was really enjoying the water...
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