My boyfriend and I live together in a small townhouse with 1.5 bathrooms, a washer and dryer, and a dishwasher. Our gallons of water used increased a lot and we don't seem to be using any more water than we did in our last billing cycle. Our first 2 months living here we used 8000 gallons of water. The past two months the bill said we used 18000 gallons. Is that really a normal amount of water for two people? We don't do laundry or dishes more than 2 times a week.
2006-09-25 13:26:43 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Other - Home & Garden
The average varies. In PA it is about 65 gallons per adult per day. This is down from the 100 gallons per adult per day it was before conservation measures were put into place about 20 years ago.
What you are really asking is why did the usage jump so much?
Number one reason is a leaking flapper valve in the toilet tank, These things can use 1000 gal per day without you even knowing it!
To check it, remove the lid to the tank and put some food coloring in it - do not flush the tank. Use a dark color - red, green, blue. If any of the color shows up in the bowl inside of say ten minutes or so then your flapper is leaking. Use KoolAid if you have no food coloring. One packet of grape usually works well.
Replace or have the flapper replaced if the toilet fails this test.
Also, do not let any fixture run at all when you are not using it - even a small drip can add up to several hundred gallons a day!
BTW, water meters are so designed that they cannot run "fast" (reading more usage than really was used) and almost always read slightly "slow" (reading less than actually used). The older the meter, the more water that slips by without being recorded. You do NOT want a new meter!
Your usage for two adults should not be more than 6000 gal per month, even if each of you shower 2x per day!
2006-09-25 14:23:38 · answer #1 · answered by Gilley 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
8000 gals. per month is crazy for just two individuals. unless you have an aquarium i i mean a big one. 18000 gals would fill a small pool, something
ain't right. you either have a bad water leak, or your meter is tied
into and/or with several other meters.are you living in a town home that is on the end, where there may be a hose/faucet
outside? you need to look into this as I'm sure you have by posting the question.
2006-09-25 20:54:43 · answer #2 · answered by barrbou214 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some water companies do not check meters every billing cycle, check your bill with present meter reading
2006-09-25 20:38:45 · answer #3 · answered by trekkie706 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it should not be more than 4000 a month i am basing this on my grandparents water bill they have two baths,dishwasher, washing machine and they water a small garden. you may have a severe leak or a meter reader thats not doing his/her job
2006-09-26 12:02:14 · answer #4 · answered by Damon 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
2 persons should average around 4574 gallons / month. I guess we Canadians save some water by showering together ;)
2006-09-25 20:51:11 · answer #5 · answered by renius 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
4800 gallons a month is normal
2006-09-25 20:33:47 · answer #6 · answered by Theodore G 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋