Hi All, I just had a quick question about our water bill. Normally, in an average month, our water bill is usually $50 per month. For the past few months, it has doubled! We've checked for leaks, checked the toilets, pipes, etc. and cannot find anything. Someone from the water company came to our house as well to check the meter, and everything is fine. We just can't figure out what's going on. Any other suggestions on where to look? We've not been using any more water than usual. Thanks in advance!
Did your rates go up? Also verify that your useage has not changed. If it has and you don't feel it should have, it may be a leak somewhere in the lines. I would ask the water company to check the water line that runs to your house for any leaks. I don't know if someone could have tapped into your water line somehow but that may be a possibility. They may be getting water from your line and letting you foot the bill. We have actually had people do that in our area.
If your rates haven't risen, it does sound like there is a leak underground. Since you've checked that the stool is not running and your pipes are not dripping or leaking, there could be a leak in the line from your house to the connection at the street. Have you checked any exterior faucets to see if they are leaking or if someone has hooked a hose up to your line?
We had an underground leak. The ground just stayed very damp in that area and I didn't think much of it until the pipe burst completely and we had lots of water. After that was fixed, our bill dropped so much that I realized it had been an ongoing problem for a while.
We had a raise in our water bill when the neighbors bought an above ground pool and filled it up when we were at work with their hose connected to our outside faucet. Since they didn't have to pay the bill, they kept draining and filling it with fresh water each month. This went on until one day I came home from work early and heard the water running through our pipes. Needless to say, they no longer can access the outside faucet. But in your case, if your bill reflects that you are using the same amount of water as usual, then it is a billing error by the water company. Perhaps their billing program glitched out and doubled your rate in error? If that is the case, hopefully they will refund your money or credit your account. Good luck!
Did you have any change in usage? Maybe doing more laundry, filling a pool, or house guests? I guess the first thing I would check is how much more water the bill says you used than last month.
The one thing that wasn't checked was anything underground. Thanks for the tip! When the rep. from the water company came out, all he did was check the meter and said that it's working fine. We haven't used anymore water than usual, and the neighbors have no way of accessing it, so I am thinking the underground line leak may be possible. I will definitely check into that. GrandmaHug, that is horrible. I've heard that pools take up a LOT of water consumption (which is why we never bought one), and for someone to do that is ridiculous. It should be illegal too! If people take cable without paying, they are arrested, so the same thing should happen to people who are using water at another person's expense.
Yeah, as said above you'll want to check for underground burst pipes and things. Water companies will usually know about these though, so I'd imagine they'd have let you know when you queried them about your bill, which is strange... Do you have an outside faucet which somebody could be using while you're away from your house?
Quick questions whats the lowest the bill has been? Is it just you alone, no otheres? Has it ever been that high?
Wow, so when you say doubled, it's almost at $100 every month? Man, our bill never reaches that. Ours is usually just at $15 or so.
It probably is a crime to steal water, but it is kind of up to the police whether to take a report. It is up to the city prosecutor or district attorney whether to file charges.
They're probably just charging you more because they "feel" like it. It's very similar to the BS the electric company pulls. Like when you KNOW most of your stuff is always off, yet they'll come out and tell you you used "so many watts" of power.
Wow, that is rather high! You may want to check for an underground leak. Our neighbors had that right at the box and it cost them hundreds before it was found.
That is high. However, I reside in Yorkshire, UK and as a student we pay £660 for the year. It is a very small 3 bedroom house! To me this seems outrageous and I do not know how they expect us to pay such an enormous bill. We weren't even given the option of a water meter.
Wow, it almost sounds like something that would happen in my town. I would have made them pay for the bill for the months, it may have been a hassle but at least they would know not to mess with anything that was yours again! We had a problem in an apartment we used to live in with the electric bill. When somebody moved in downstairs, our electric bill went up to over $200 a month and this was on a month where there was no AC being used because it was comfortable outside. The electric company swore up and down that there was no way anybody was using our electricity and that the downstairs had separate electric. They wouldn't come out and check it out without us paying them because it wasn't an emergency. Now that I moved, I have more things that use electric and my bill is sometimes only $35.
