My water and sewer bills run about $80.00 combined for three months. We just got new water and sewer bills and they were $480.00. My landlord was questioning this and we have no idea. So he called the water dept and they said to read the meter, he read the meter and in one week it says that we used 6 cubit feet of water in one week when we normally use 3-4 cubic feet of water in a three month period. What could cause this?

Hi Mecma3:

First place to have the landlord check will be in the toilets in the building.

Drop a few droplets of dark food coloring in all the toilet TANKS and let them sit overnight (or as long as possible)... if food coloring shows up in the toilet BOWL without the toilet being flushed then the flappers are allowing water to pass by causing the toilet to empty/refill and that can cause all kinds of cost!

You also want to check at the meter itself... should have a little red needle on it. When no one uses water... does the needle spin? Be patient... watch it for awhile. If it moves and no one is using water then as stated, the toilets could be leaking past the flapper or there could be a hidden leak somewhere...

Try the toilet dye test... get back with results...

MARK

Shut valve on house side of meter when u go to work. Read meter.

When u come home read meter again. If it reads u used water ,meter defective.

When u turn water on, if u hear a rush of water u have a leak.

U can also do this test at night. Do not use water until after u check meter and turn on water.

Chuck

On top of every other post I will add the following link, it walk you through how to check for a water leak, Thanks.

John

Water Shut-Off Valve for Home Water Conservation Tips: What Is Home Water Conservation: Residential Tips on Video | eHow.com

Quote:

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Shut valve on house side of meter when u go to work. Read meter.
When u come home read meter again. If it reads u used water ,meter defective.

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Or, it could be a leak between the meter and the house in the water service.

Most meters in my area, if old house, have a gate valve each side of meter.

If was leaking on house side u would see it.

Chuck

Water measured in cubic feet??

What does this water meter look like?

3-4 Cubic Feet seems awfully too little for 3 months.

Do you use water at all ? Water usage is measured in HCF ( hectar cubic feet = 748 gln of water ). Average residential property uses about 350gln of water a day or 1/2 HCF.

You may have sprinkler line leak of main line water leak. Do as others suggested. Turn every thing off inside your house and observe water meter if it is turning.

Also, it is a general practice that water company does not read meter every month. The may estimate your water usage and come out once or twice a year to do the actual reading. They adjust your bill accordingly. Look at you water bill. If there is an asterisk after the usage number, than it is estimated reading.

Let us know how you did... Good luck... Milo

Hello every one,

I am not stepping on any body's toe just had the following info and would like to share it with you all, Thanks.

Regards,
John

Gallons per cubic foot
1 cubic foot = 7.48051945 US gallons

1 US gallon = 0.133680556 cubic feet
Also,
1 cubic foot = 1728 cubic inches
1 US gallon = 231.000001 cubic inches

1 cubic foot (ft3) = 6.4285 US dry gallons or 6.2288 Canadian gallons
$ 300 ( monthly water bill $ 0.19 ( cost of water per cubic foot ) = 1578.9473 ( amount of cubic water used )
518.52 ( cubic ft of water used ) x 7.480519545 = 11,847.75 ( gallons of water used )

11,847.75 Gallons of water used )
___________________________
30 ( days per month ) = 394.925 ( gallons of water per day )


394.925 ( Gallons of water per day )
____________________________
24 ( hours per day ) =16.45 ( gallons per hour )


16.45 ( gallons of water per hour )
____________________________
60 ( minutes per hour ) = 0,27 Gallons per minute
Note: At least some areas charge per "ccf" for water. This refers to 100 cubic feet. If your bill says you used 10 ccf, that would be 1000 cubic feet, or almost 7500 US gallons.
Also: "Water bills" can also include other costs such as sewer and trash collection. Read your bill closely to determine exactly what you're paying for.

I got a bill for Feb.5 to Mar 8,2010 24,000 gallons for 1 month, the city sent someone to read the meter again,and I was told that in 1 week, there was additional 13,000 gallons more a total of 37,0000 in 5 weeks, my normal usage this time of the year is 1 t0 3000 gallons a month. I had the sprinkler checked, no leak;
2 plumbers checked the house no leaks found, I did toilets dye test, no leaks and now all of a sudden the meter seems to be functioning normal. In Feb. we had an ice storm and accumulated of 10 to 14 inches of snow. Could this somehow affect how the meter runs.
Please help, the city insists that there is a leak and fixed itself, is that possible. Or the meter mulfunctioned after the ice storm?

I am not sure that the snow would affect the meter, and also I don't think that leak would stop by it self, you may had a flapper valve not seated properly at that time and it is OK now, your total was 37,000 gallons not 370,000 gallons, Open the link below watch the clips will show how to check for water leak out side house and inside the house,thanks.

John


http://www.ehow.com/video_4418520_wa...tion-tips.html