Water Leak in Meter Box

[Bobcuse]

The water meter reader rang my doorbell the other day to tell me I had a leak in my potable water meter box. This was not a slow leak. When he removed the cover I could see the pvc pipe connection to the brass meter pipe was spraying water and the box was half full. I called home warranty who informed me that the water system was covered under the two year provision of my warranty, and they contacted my plumber to come out and repair it. I shut off the water at the meter until he arrived. The plumber showed me where the water box (made of a plastic material) actually rests on the top of the PVC pipe entering the water box so that if a heavy riding lawn mower rides onto the box, the box will press down on the pipe which most likely caused the PVC to split at the meter connection. Looking at the meter reading, it appears I probably lost approximately 15-18,000 gallons of water because of this leak.

I talked to my lawn service about NOT riding onto the box. The water boxes which came in my previous home in the Villages were not lightweight plastic, but rather a heavy iron/brass material which were obviously much more durable (and the covers always stayed on, unlike these boxes where the covers can easily pop off). This post is to alert everyone to ensure your landscapers do not ride on top of the water boxes.

[Skip]

The water meter reader rang my doorbell the other day to tell me I had a leak in my potable water meter box. This was not a slow leak. When he removed the cover I could see the pvc pipe connection to the brass meter pipe was spraying water and the box was half full. I called home warranty who informed me that the water system was covered under the two year provision of my warranty, and they contacted my plumber to come out and repair it. I shut off the water at the meter until he arrived. The plumber showed me where the water box (made of a plastic material) actually rests on the top of the PVC pipe entering the water box so that if a heavy riding lawn mower rides onto the box, the box will press down on the pipe which most likely caused the PVC to split at the meter connection. Looking at the meter reading, it appears I probably lost approximately 15-18,000 gallons of water because of this leak.

I talked to my lawn service about NOT riding onto the box. The water boxes which came in my previous home in the Villages were not lightweight plastic, but rather a heavy iron/brass material which were obviously much more durable (and the covers always stayed on, unlike these boxes where the covers can easily pop off). This post is to alert everyone to ensure your landscapers do not ride on top of the water boxes.

The purpose of the box (among other things) is so you CAN ride over it. If the extra weight of the mower caused this, then the box was positioned incorrectly by the builder. Hope they fixed the symptom AND the cause for you under warranty. I bet however that you will pay for every drop that leaked. The only thing the Water Dept. will do for you is to allow you a few extra months to make those high payments - but they won't discount the total amount.

Skip

[Bogie Shooter]

The water meter reader rang my doorbell the other day to tell me I had a leak in my potable water meter box. This was not a slow leak. When he removed the cover I could see the pvc pipe connection to the brass meter pipe was spraying water and the box was half full. I called home warranty who informed me that the water system was covered under the two year provision of my warranty, and they contacted my plumber to come out and repair it. I shut off the water at the meter until he arrived. The plumber showed me where the water box (made of a plastic material) actually rests on the top of the PVC pipe entering the water box so that if a heavy riding lawn mower rides onto the box, the box will press down on the pipe which most likely caused the PVC to split at the meter connection. Looking at the meter reading, it appears I probably lost approximately 15-18,000 gallons of water because of this leak.

I talked to my lawn service about NOT riding onto the box. The water boxes which came in my previous home in the Villages were not lightweight plastic, but rather a heavy iron/brass material which were obviously much more durable (and the covers always stayed on, unlike these boxes where the covers can easily pop off). This post is to alert everyone to ensure your landscapers do not ride on top of the water boxes.

Did the water department tell you that you had to pay for all the leaked water?

[Bobcuse]

The water department said to take my bill to the Home Warranty Dept and see if they will credit me the excess charge since it was a warranty issue. I'm waiting for the bill to arrive.

[zcaveman]

We (the neighbor and I) had two problems. He had a water leak which was caught by the lawn service and I had a cracked glass in the meter which was caught by the meter reader and me and the neighbor was never charged for either repair. I think the neighbor had to eat the water bill charge since the leak was on his side.

[Skip]

We (the neighbor and I) had two problems. He had a water leak which was caught by the lawn service and I had a cracked glass in the meter which was caught by the meter reader and me and the neighbor was never charged for either repair. I think the neighbor had to eat the water bill charge since the leak was on his side.

The Water Dept. doesn't want you to eat the bill - they want you to pay it! :spoken:

Skip