My boyfriend and I live in a small townhouse with 1.5 bathrooms, washer and dryer, and dishwasher. The only thing that changed from my old place is having our washer. We each take one shower a day, do dishes maybe 2 times a week and do maybe 2 loads of laundry a week. Our first bill said we used 8000 gallons of water for 2 months. Our most recent bill said we used 18,000 gallons of water for the past 2 months. Our bill more than doubled! What is going on? We are not doing anything different than we did during the time period of our first bill. What would cause a 10000 gallon increase? (our toilets are not leaking)
2006-09-25 13:18:03 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
There is an outside faucet and supposedly it's not to be used by anyone, but I have heard it being turned on a few times by the lawn care men. Would that really cause a 10000 gallon increase?
2006-09-25 13:23:30 · update #1
A leak in your pipes. Call the water company first to see if the leak is on your side or theirs, then call a plubmer!!!!!! Something is seriously wrong, or they really screwed up the bill!!!!
2006-09-25 13:19:39 · answer #1 · answered by Elizabeth L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to check a few things. One) does your toilet run? If so, you need to get it fixed FAST. It may not seem like much, but that adds up REAL fast. I am not talking about leaking, either. Just running constantly will do it to you. This can be fixed by simply bending the bar that holds the float. 2) check your water heater. If it leaks, that is probably your culprit. I had this very same problem. The tank leaked out of the bottom, and went right under my house, so I never knew. 3) Actually, you should check ANYTHING that is connected to the water. Any leaks, even seemingly minor ones, can do it. This might be hard with the shower and stuff, but if it is that bad, have a plumber check it all.
If your renting, you should let your landlord know immediately. There is a good chance he will have to replace anything faulty, but don't expect him to be responsible for any bills from the leaks.
2006-09-25 13:27:12 · answer #2 · answered by Jason W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might have a leak in the pipes under the house. Same thing happened in my rental property. The landlord left me a note saying 'Either you are filling a swimming pool or we have a problem'! They had to lift the floors and replace the old pipes. Talk about expensive (sorry) Some new townhouses have had problems with poor construction. Talk to the water company as it could be a mistake and then get it checked out. It could cause significant damage to foundations and structure if there is a leak.
2006-09-25 13:22:27 · answer #3 · answered by sticky 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have a yard, then check for a broken sprinkler or sprinkler pipe. Are there any leaks in the pipes inside? Call your water company and tell them your concerns. Another possibility is, utility companies sometimes don't check the meters every billing cycle. So, they may have been going off of an old reading or an averaged one and then maybe your use went up slightly or moderately for a month or two. When they checked it again, they may have added the extra amount used to your current bill. Call to make sure.
2006-09-25 13:22:19 · answer #4 · answered by Kimberly W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your water use of 8000 gallons a month is about right. A recent survey indicates that 4800 gal/month is normal for multi-family units. Sometimes water companies estimate one bill and then correct it after a reading is made. Hence if you actually used 6500 gal/month then the total over 4 months would be 8000 +18000. The washer will probably make a difference. Water is expensive, try to conserve it!
2006-09-25 13:31:28 · answer #5 · answered by Theodore G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At your water meter turn off the water for a day or so. If any one complaines you know you are paying for somebody elses water. Water companies average water usage instead of reading the meter every month, based on previous owners. You may have a bill coming up where you dont owe anything to make up for it. Call your water company and find out what they are doing.
2006-09-25 13:58:49 · answer #6 · answered by blue_eagle74 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Step 1, turn off valves under left side of toilets,step 2, go to meter box open lid ( be careful, black widow spiders love meter boxes) get stick and clean off meter dial. newer style meters have a triangle or another type of mini dial to show water flowing thru meter. Look for that and see if its moving. If older style meter is present, look at main dial and watch for 5 minutes. You may have an underground leak or a underslab leak.
2006-09-25 13:32:56 · answer #7 · answered by trekkie706 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
is your water meter just for your home?
you might have a water line leak in the ground. Ask the village or town to check this out. It may be possible they misread the meter once, but not twice.
2006-09-25 13:25:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Elizabeth. Plus, if you contact the water company, they are usually very helpful. I had friends who experienced a similar jump in their water bill. Their landlord was not helpful but the water company actually agreed to split the bill with them and assist them with deterimining the cause.
2006-09-25 13:23:45 · answer #9 · answered by Shibi 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you have good water pressure? It could be that you have an
unseen leak. Also do you have an outside faucet? Someone else
could be tapping into your water supply.
2006-09-25 13:21:52 · answer #10 · answered by Bethany 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋