[rubicon]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

If homewatch turns off the water, how do they flush toilets and run dishwasher every week? Do they turn it on and off again with every visit? If that is the plan, IMHO they forgot to turn it off again and you have a faulty toilet flapper. I have used homewatch and never found one that turns the water off and on every week. Perhaps some do, but if so I bet they forgot one time when in a hurry and decided not to wait for dishwasher to finish.

When you get here, turn on water, flush all toilets and look for one that keeps running. My bet is you will find the problem.

Replaced my toilet flippers twice so far (in 11 years)

[Happy Snowbird]

Rubicon...we are here and neither toilet keeps running. Put coloring into tanks and no leakage. Will repeat in a few days. We have also previously changed the internal workings of our toilets, in fact probably within the last 2-3 years. Had a plumber in last year to check things....everything good. Now 2 parts to my issue...excessive usage and curiosity how it happens. You would think it would be easy to find the problem when you have a water usage of 19,000 gals when nobody is living in the house at the time and supposedly the water was off. Just want some answers to prevent future issues.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Happy Snowbird

Rubicon...we are here and neither toilet keeps running. Put coloring into tanks and no leakage. Will repeat in a few days. We have also previously changed the internal workings of our toilets, in fact probably within the last 2-3 years. Had a plumber in last year to check things....everything good. Now 2 parts to my issue...excessive usage and curiosity how it happens. You would think it would be easy to find the problem when you have a water usage of 19,000 gals when nobody is living in the house at the time and supposedly the water was off. Just want some answers to prevent future issues.

Do you live south of 466? Outside water is separate.

[mtdjed]

Logic will prevail. Put down all the facts. Isolate timing of usage. What could have happened? Verify meter reading. Leaks do not normally cure themselves no do faulty meters. But I did get a bad bill once due to a faulty meter reading. But it did self correct when the next months reading occurred. If you had leak between house and outdoor meter, it would not heal itself.

If your irrigation system is separate and the bill was strictly limited to house usage, you have no visible leaks, and the meter appears to have been read correctly, I would look to human issue. Does Homewatch use hose outside to water any plants. Could that have been accidently left on and water not shut off on the inside? Any contract work occurring in your immediate vicinity? Notice any new plantings in the immediate area?

Good luck "UN" HappySnowbird

[PaulDenise]

Rather than speculate about the meter being read wrong, why don't you just go outside and write down the meter reading yourself and then compare it to the meter reading on your bill??

[Henryk]

Originally Posted by Happy Snowbird

Rubicon...we are here and neither toilet keeps running. Put coloring into tanks and no leakage. Will repeat in a few days. We have also previously changed the internal workings of our toilets, in fact probably within the last 2-3 years. Had a plumber in last year to check things....everything good. Now 2 parts to my issue...excessive usage and curiosity how it happens. You would think it would be easy to find the problem when you have a water usage of 19,000 gals when nobody is living in the house at the time and supposedly the water was off. Just want some answers to prevent future issues.

Happy, is your meter in a place where you can observe it? The indicators on the meter should be motionless if there is no water running.

Has the meter been swapped out? (Old meters sometimes fail and are replaced.)

Was the usage estimated? Does the meter reading agree with the bill?

[redwitch]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

If homewatch turns off the water, how do they flush toilets and run dishwasher every week? Do they turn it on and off again with every visit? If that is the plan, IMHO they forgot to turn it off again and you have a faulty toilet flapper. I have used homewatch and never found one that turns the water off and on every week. Perhaps some do, but if so I bet they forgot one time when in a hurry and decided not to wait for dishwasher to finish.

When you get here, turn on water, flush all toilets and look for one that keeps running. My bet is you will find the problem.

Only reason your water was never turned off was because your maintenance guy frequently needed to use a hose and you had a pool. Otherwise, water should be turned off and turned on for house check, then off again.

[redwitch]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

I had a case this summer where there was a water leak on the homeowners side of the water meter but BEFORE the house shutoff in the garage. The PVC pipe had a hairline crack in it that resulted in alot of water running through the (potable) meter but never made it into the house. Check for standing water right at the meter box

This would be the most logical explanation but for the fact your bill is now normal. Sadly, this leaves human error. Odds are your homewatch forgot to turn off a faucet and didn’t shut the water off for some reason between checking house. Error happens. To not tell you is another issue.

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by Retiring

Water bills are a strange nut to crack sometimes. I recall, 20+ years ago, my parents received a huge water bill - $5k for one quarter (NY). This was before electronic reading of water meters, they used to come to the home and manually read the meter. My parents, not in the mood to “fight city hall,” said if I can correct the error I could keep half. It took 6 weeks of constant calling for the water people to come out and re-read the meter. They just would not accept there was an error on their end, as one lady put it “we don’t make mistakes.” They finally came out to re-read, probably to shut me up, and the previous reading was in fact an error. All monies refunded. Dealing with bureaucracies can be a real pain in the donkey.

It is NORMAL for most/many companies to see what they can get away with. A non-fought overcharge does go into profit but for a large company such as a water company it means they do not need do anything.

RE: can't be an error on our end
I always demand the name of the person who said that.
Be sure to ask for an id number. Many of the people you talk to use false names. Ask for a supervisor-they often use a consistent if false name. When, the matter is settled
and the company is found to be wrong send a registered return receipt letter to the company president AND DEMAND AN APOLOGY LETTER SIGNED BY BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND THE EMPLOYEE INVOLVED.

[Aruca]

My water bill was 20,000 with no one living in home at the time...explanation when i call V-Office..they said due to Hurricane an ESTIMATE of previous bill was made and it was too low -this was the adjustment...My last bill was lower than usual.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by suesiegel

It is NORMAL for most/many companies to see what they can get away with. A non-fought overcharge does go into profit but for a large company such as a water company it means they do not need do anything.

RE: can't be an error on our end
I always demand the name of the person who said that.
Be sure to ask for an id number. Many of the people you talk to use false names. Ask for a supervisor-they often use a consistent if false name. When, the matter is settled
and the company is found to be wrong send a registered return receipt letter to the company president AND DEMAND AN APOLOGY LETTER SIGNED BY BOTH THE PRESIDENT AND THE EMPLOYEE INVOLVED.

Now wait. Who exactly is the perp? Why would someone who worked for the water company try to insert a one time overuse??? That has no motive...how would any one individual profit?

I think it is more likely a break in the outside pipes somewhere or the house watch person left the water running for a very long time.

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by mtdjed

Logic will prevail. Put down all the facts. Isolate timing of usage. What could have happened? Verify meter reading. Leaks do not normally cure themselves no do faulty meters. But I did get a bad bill once due to a faulty meter reading. But it did self correct when the next months reading occurred. If you had leak between house and outdoor meter, it would not heal itself.

If your irrigation system is separate and the bill was strictly limited to house usage, you have no visible leaks, and the meter appears to have been read correctly, I would look to human issue. Does Homewatch use hose outside to water any plants. Could that have been accidently left on and water not shut off on the inside? Any contract work occurring in your immediate vicinity? Notice any new plantings in the immediate area?

Good luck "UN" HappySnowbird

Our system they have a person who goes around and reads electronically through a plastic cover in our lawn. I saw the person one day and asked him about it as I had wondered how they remove the plate and perfectly put it back. So you/we are trying to have a conversation with a CLERK who BELIEVES the computer-their god-is always right.

RE: self correcting
If, you look at your water bill you will see as you use more water, you pay far more for each gallon used. Thus, if you use the minimum in Jan, a 1,000 gallon error might cost you nothing. In feb if you are in the highest pay group due to more usage, it will cost you far more.

[autumnspring]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Now wait. Who exactly is the perp? Why would someone who worked for the water company try to insert a one time overuse??? That has no motive...how would any one individual profit?

I think it is more likely a break in the outside pipes somewhere or the house watch person left the water running for a very long time.

Dealing with a company such as a water company, they need their books to balance. Insert a one time over use, IF THE CUSTOMER PAYS, does not want to bother, solves the problem.

That is why, I would spend the time to investigate and if the company is found to be wrong I WOULD DEMAND A SIGNED APOLOGY FROM THE EMPLOYEE who claimed the computer is always right and THE COMPANY PRESIDENT.

I truly do not do this often BUT, too long stories to share-
I have a letter from CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES AND THE BANK INVOLVED IN THAT FIASCO, and another time THE LONG ISLAND RAILROAD. I do not have an apology JUST long since cashed checks from a plumber due to overcharges and the mover we used to do doublespeak THEFT.

The water company as you do not have a choice they will and DO bully they can bully you. BUT, they only can if your allow them.

The biblical story of David vs Goliath if true-I read the story as Goliath successfully bullied all but David. The common people THE MASS OF PEOPLE knew he was a fool.
You of course know who WON. Had David fought the battle that Goliath expected some people say a fair fight?
We know who would have lost.

I've fought Goliath several times. Perhaps, for all the people TOO SMART to do it.

[Happy Snowbird]

Graciegirl....I'm not saying anyone did anything intentionally and I'm not looking for "blame". I just want to know how I could use 19,000 gals when not even here. When we are here our usage is ~3,000. I do know there is no underground leak because, as I've stated before, there were several days after the 19,000 with "0" usage....a leak would have shown some usage. I have confidence in my homewatch who comes weekly. If she had left the water on it would have only been for a week. A leak of 19,000 gals would have flooded my house or if outside would have shown water laying on the surface. I put food coloring in my toilet tanks and it did not leak into the toilet bowl. So....where is the problem? I asked if I could have gotten someone elses bill, "no"; could my usage be an accumulaton of more than one meter reading, "no". After this month's bill I am going to speak to the person in charge at the water utility and continue on up from there. I feel I deserve answers and that I have legitimate reasons as mentioned above that it couldn't have been a leak. I took pictures over a 2 hour period showing no food coloring leaked into the toilet bowl and will do several more times. Again, I'm not looking for "blame", only answers. I really would like someone to say that 19,000 gals is unusual, let me check into it rather than an immediate "no" or the more popular "I don't know".

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Happy Snowbird

Graciegirl....I'm not saying anyone did anything intentionally and I'm not looking for "blame". I just want to know how I could use 19,000 gals when not even here. When we are here our usage is ~3,000. I do know there is no underground leak because, as I've stated before, there were several days after the 19,000 with "0" usage....a leak would have shown some usage. I have confidence in my homewatch who comes weekly. If she had left the water on it would have only been for a week. A leak of 19,000 gals would have flooded my house or if outside would have shown water laying on the surface. I put food coloring in my toilet tanks and it did not leak into the toilet bowl. So....where is the problem? I asked if I could have gotten someone elses bill, "no"; could my usage be an accumulaton of more than one meter reading, "no". After this month's bill I am going to speak to the person in charge at the water utility and continue on up from there. I feel I deserve answers and that I have legitimate reasons as mentioned above that it couldn't have been a leak. I took pictures over a 2 hour period showing no food coloring leaked into the toilet bowl and will do several more times. Again, I'm not looking for "blame", only answers. I really would like someone to say that 19,000 gals is unusual, let me check into it rather than an immediate "no" or the more popular "I don't know".

Here it says that the average sink allows water to run at a rate of three gallons per minute.
The Average Sink Faucet: Gallons of Water Per Minute | Hunker