At wits end with the Pittsburgh County rural water district 14

[G-Golly Wally]

My first water bill here was for 40 days, I paid a 100$ deposit and the bill was $177. So basically $77 for usage of about 4500 gal. Since then it's been crazy, the Bill for last month $278!! Supposedly we used 14.000 gal !!! I had three different plumbers check for leaks, pressure test line, check toilets the whole nine yards, they found nothing! If I had a leak I should have a small pond in my yard somewhere. In 28 years at the old house 7 to 9,000 gal was heavy usage, and I still have the same number of people in my household as always. But here it's hit 14,000 gal more than once, hell 2 families would be hard pressed to use 14,000 gal in a month. All the water department keeps saying is I have a leak, No it's been checked more than once. I've come to the conclusion they're screwing me, because they've made no effort on their part to find the problem, and insist that I have a leak ( their making bank off of me) !!!!! So my next step is to get a meter off of a friend that works for a different county water department.( he thinks 14,000 gal is unbelievable) come back about 4ft from the meter and install the piggyback meter between my house and the Pittsburgh county meter. I keep telling them it's defective but they never do anything about it. So if their meter numbers don't match my piggyback meter numbers, Someone's coming out here and replace that POS!!!!!!

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

That is a lot of water, did your neighbor fill their swimming pool with your garden hose?

 

[Crawdad]

Sounds like an office pumpkin/clerk with a fat finger on the computer keyboard. Give'em hell Wally!

73 and best of luck. Dealing with folks like that can be like kicking a fire hydrant in flip-flops.

 

[H1driver]

Be sure everything is turned off in the house like normal and go look at the meter. If it is moving then you have a leak.

Flush valves on toilets are notorious for leaking and can sometimes be difficult to hear.

if the meter is moving with everything off, start turning the water off at the toilets with the wall stop.

 

[sunbulls]

If you have any water in-line items that have an auto flush timer, some softeners, hot water heaters, boilers etc. They can occasionally get stuck during their flush cycle.

Water in a toilet bowl that shimmers will indicate a bad seal or valve. My wife usually tells me whenever our toilet tanks need servicing. She’s the one that’s always looking closely for any critters in the toilet bowl.

 

[Crawdad]

Takes quite a few leaky flapper valves to go thru 14,000 gal / month doesn't it? That can't be the whole story IMO.

 

[Handy Andy]

The concern I have are these...

IF some guy was "trenching a AT&T or Cable" - they been known to hit lines.
​

IF you have a tree in your font yard, the roots can bend and deform the pipe until it splits. You 'SHOULD see this as an eruption on your grass in the yard. Don't always see it when it's 4 to 6 feet deep - it can run into a sewer line run by that break instead.

Given time - you'd have a sinkhole...

​

 

[Riverman]

I don’t mind telling on my self. We had a high water bill last winter. Was told I had a leak. I said I think I’d know if I had a water leak. That afternoon I was standing at the window looking out into the back yard. Hadn’t been out there in a week or so because of cold weather. Happen to notice a small area of brown grass among all of the yellow dormant bermuda. Went out and looked and the grass was brown because it was wet. Long story short—a broken sprinkler line. Repaired it, water bill back to normal.

 

[Dmans]

Dealing with folks like that can be like kicking a fire hydrant in flip-flops.

Or wiping your Ass with a hula hoop!

73
David

 

[G-Golly Wally]

The concern I have are these...

View attachment 57007
IF some guy was "trenching a AT&T or Cable" - they been known to hit lines.
​

IF you have a tree in your font yard, the roots can bend and deform the pipe until it splits. You 'SHOULD see this as an eruption on your grass in the yard. Don't always see it when it's 4 to 6 feet deep - it can run into a sewer line run by that break instead.

Given time - you'd have a sinkhole...

​

We have no sewer lines it's all septic tanks out here, like i said I should have a small pond somewhere. I did have a leaking flapper that I fixed, a month ago, and they still hit me for 14,000 gal . At the old place I had an above ground pool that we added water to, a garden that was watered daily on top of our normal use and never used 14.000 gal .

 

[G-Golly Wally]

That is a lot of water, did your neighbor fill their swimming pool with your garden hose?

I beginning to wonder??

 

[H1driver]

Go look at the meter and you will know immediately if water is flowing when you do not think it is.

 

[G-Golly Wally]

Go look at the meter and you will know immediately if water is flowing when you do not think it is.

When I was the only one home I sat out there what seemed like forever and never seen the the thing move. IDK?? BUT SOMETHING IS WRONG!

 

[TM86]

See if they'll send you the meter numbers from the last few months of readings. Since you're a new customer it's quite possible they've screwed something up in their billing system.

 

[barefootindian]

That second water meter in line is a good idea too. Can you calibrate the second metre so that it reads the same as the original one. If not then take a reading from both every day and take one amount from the other so you have an idea as to your true water usage.