90000 gallons and no obvious leak?

Users who are viewing this thread

michaelheerwald

New Member
Messages
35
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Clinton, Oklahoma
Water useage at 85000 gallons last month and 90000 this one. Standing over meter for many minutes and no movement on the little spinner. No signs of leaks under, around or in house. No running toilets, that I can hear or see. The tenants say they don't know of any problems at all. Its there bill, I am just trying to see if anyone has any thoughts or ideas. Water departament wrote off last month but getting a little jumpy on this one. The lady has four kids and two adults in house. Water departement says they have double checked readings and they "are not wrong"?
 

Terry

The Plumbing Wizard
Staff member
Messages
29,942
Reaction score
3,459
Points
113
Location
Bothell, Washington
Website
terrylove.com
Check the shower heads.
Make sure they are only putting out 2.5 gallons a minute or less.
You may also want to pick up some aerators that are 2.0 gallons or less for the lav faucets.

These things will cost you very little money, and may save you every month.
 

Gary Swart

In the Trades
Messages
8,101
Reaction score
84
Points
48
Location
Yakima, WA
I did a quick Google and came up with the average water usage per person to be about 31.5 gallons per day. I do not swear to the accuracy of this figure, but using that as a point of departure, that would work out to slightly less than 6000 gallons per month for a family of 6. There would seem to be something wrong. Perhaps the meter is defective? I'd have to look beyond a dripping faucet, a shower head that is putting out too much, full flow toilets, or a bad toilet fill valve.
 
Messages
224
Reaction score
14
Points
18
Location
Huntington Station, NY
Website
www.howardemerson.com
I did a quick Google and came up with the average water usage per person to be about 31.5 gallons per day. I do not swear to the accuracy of this figure, but using that as a point of departure, that would work out to slightly less than 6000 gallons per month for a family of 6. There would seem to be something wrong. Perhaps the meter is defective? I'd have to look beyond a dripping faucet, a shower head that is putting out too much, full flow toilets, or a bad toilet fill valve.

Hi Gary,
And the chart that I found says 70 gallons per day per person:

http://www.wsscwater.com/service/WaterUsageChart.cfm

Still...............that's only 12k gallons per month.

HE
 

Mort

New Member
Messages
83
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
CA
In my 2000 sq ft three bath house, my average water consumption is 625 gallons per day for two people. However, that includes landscaping...which I'm sure is most of the usage especially during the summer. Sure seems like a lot, but each year I'm using 40% of what the water company alocates before they surcharge. 90,000 gallons??????? You sure they're not hiding a swimming pool in there somewhere and draining it monthly?

Mort
 

michaelheerwald

New Member
Messages
35
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Clinton, Oklahoma
I know what you mean, you'd think my renters would be floating down the street. Seriously it either has to be going down the sewer, which if it were it would have to be running wide open, and there is no evidence of that, or it is in the meter. The clerk at the city water said she would send someone back out friday to read again and compare it to last weeks reading. Even the reader made notation that meter was not running.
 

Terry

The Plumbing Wizard
Staff member
Messages
29,942
Reaction score
3,459
Points
113
Location
Bothell, Washington
Website
terrylove.com
I did forget to mention replacing the toilet with an HET model averaging 1.28 gallons or less.
If you have six people, the toilet would be a huge water waster.
 

AcidWater

Member
Messages
263
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
.
Why don't you turn on all the spigots and see if the meter indicates usage? Maybe it will spin like crazy & indicate that its broken
 

hj

Master Plumber
Messages
33,602
Reaction score
1,041
Points
113
Location
Cave Creek, Arizona
Website
www.terrylove.com
usage

Toilets can turn on and off so that if you checked during an off cycle it would not show a leak. I assume no swimming pool or lawn irrigation system, either of which can use prodigious amounts of water and not show any signs.
 

theestimator1

New Member
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Maryland
Does the meter have a leak detector? A new Sensus water meter has a low flow (leak) detector. The specs list a Low Flow Registration of a 1/4gal/minute = 15gal/hour. I’m not familiar with Low Flow Registration, but I take that to mean the leak detector (spinning triangle) won’t move until it has a flow of at least 15gal/hour.
.
AcidWater is onto it. If you have a leak detector, turn on the water and see if the detector spins.
.
theestimator1
Master Electrician
Maryland
 
Last edited:

Gary Swart

In the Trades
Messages
8,101
Reaction score
84
Points
48
Location
Yakima, WA
It was not my intent to pass over water saving devices such as low flow toilets and other devices, they are good and should be part of the home, I also indicated my consumption figures were not verified. However, 90000 gallons of water per month for a family of 6 just is 3000 gallons per day on average! That's 500 gallons per day per person. I just isn't happening even with 4 teenagers and an irrigation system for the lawn. Surely a severe leak would be a possibility, but that should show eventually on the surface of the ground, and would also be indicated on the meter. When my old galvanized supply line rusted out years ago, I had a swamp in my yard and the line is 5 feet deep. I am inclined to thing the meter is some how faulty and that is the city's responsibility. I'd get them on it ASAP and darn sure wouldn't pay the excessive water consumption.
 

99k

Radon Contractor and Water Treatment
Messages
460
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Fairfield Co.,Connecticut
Website
www.78radon.com
I have heard of daily water usage per person between 50 -75 gallons ... I use 62 Gallons so that a family of four is a nice round 250 gallons per day. Something is wrong.
 

Cass

Plumber
Messages
5,947
Reaction score
7
Points
0
Location
Ohio
Get the meter Ser.# if it has one and write down the meter reading and see if it all matches up with the towns records. I had a customer who had the same problem and the town was reading the meters wrong. Read it daily and see for your self how much you are using a day...keep track for a week or so then you will know for sure.

The town double checked and double checked wrong.
 

Gary Swart

In the Trades
Messages
8,101
Reaction score
84
Points
48
Location
Yakima, WA
You may have all ready done this, but if not, get a record of you water use for the past year or two from the city. This will give you a pretty accurate average on your family's water usage over that amount of time and may show when the problem began.
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks