Buster
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Post by Buster on Mar 12, 2021 8:55:53 GMT -5
I guess I'm looking for confirmation here before I call a plumber and having the front yard dug up.
I got a blue tag left on my door the other day from the local water utility letting me know that after reading my meter, my water usage was very high, probably indicating a leak somewhere.
The usage is measured in cubic feet with 1 cubic foot equaling about 7.5 gallons.
I called the utility on Thursday, March 11 and got the most current reading, which was done on March 8. In those three days, the meter read usage of 166 cubic feet, indicating about 1245 gallons. My normal monthly usage is from 300 to 500 cubic feet.
So, that's a lot of water going somewhere.
I have a basement and my house is a single-story, so almost all of my plumbing is exposed. I see no water anywhere. The only part I can't see is about 8 inches where the line to my outside faucet goes through the block foundation. The wall does not appear wet or damp near the inside exit point to the faucet.
The toilet tank water level in my single bathroom stays consistent and I do not hear the toilet fill valve kicking on to replenish the tank level if the flapper is leaking.
There is a white triangle on the top of the water meter gauge that spins if water is flowing through it. My plan for tomorrow is to shut off the main valve where it enters my house and see if the triangle still spins. I'm also planning to shut off water at the meter and see if it continues to spin, possibly indicating a faulty meter (probably just grasping at straws here).
It's been raining since last night and is supposed to continue to do that until the middle of next week. I had initially thought I might dig some test holes along the track of the water line to see if I encounter wet dirt, but with the ground saturated the way it is, that isn't going to tell me anything.
My question is, is there something I'm not thinking of? Has anyone ever encountered a faulty water meter? Is there anything else I might consider before calling a plumber?
Replacing the water line is going to be a bit pricey I imagine so exhausting any other possibilities, even remote ones, is my immediate priority.
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.
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tmc
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Post by tmc on Mar 12, 2021 10:40:21 GMT -5
I'd first shut the valve at the house to determine if the leak is inside and causing damage.
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Post by Taildragger on Mar 12, 2021 12:38:20 GMT -5
In the second house I owned, the incoming main (between the meter and the house) was galvanized. As it grew over several years, a tree near the main had slowly abraded a small hole in the pipe, causing to leak. Lusher growth of the vegetation near the leak was a dead give away, but we didn't realize that there was a problem right away, because what started out as a pinhole only got bigger very slowly, so rather than suddenly spiking, the water usage/bill increased very gradually.
Such things do happen, so you're wise to not assume that it could only be somewhere inside the house.
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Buster
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Post by Buster on Mar 12, 2021 12:49:26 GMT -5
After checking the meter again a little while ago, I estimate I'm losing about 3 gallons an hour somewhere. But nothing is showing up inside the house.
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Post by LTB on Mar 12, 2021 15:47:10 GMT -5
After checking the meter again a little while ago, I estimate I'm losing about 3 gallons an hour somewhere. But nothing is showing up inside the house. Definitely sounds like between meter and house or bad meter ( maybe). |
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tmc
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Post by tmc on Mar 12, 2021 15:48:34 GMT -5
Could there be a spigot hidden in the yard that could be leaking?
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Post by Pinetree on Mar 12, 2021 15:56:21 GMT -5
If the leak is between the house and the curb, it should be their problem and not yours.
Check with your water utility first.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 12, 2021 16:29:33 GMT -5
Our water meter is near the curb in an underground compartment. There is a shutoff there as well as a meter that is read electronically. One part of the meter has gallons, another little dial shows incremental water usage. I have a separate shutoff where the main comes in to the house. If I shut off the water there and that little dial keeps moving then it would tell me I have a water leak between the curb and the house. I don't know if you have a similar setup, but clearly you have water going somewhere.
Do you have an in ground irrigation system?
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 12, 2021 16:35:48 GMT -5
I would also think that shutting your main off for several hours with no water draw, then checking pressure at a tap would be revealing. At 3 gallons of water an hour no initial water movement from a tap would definitely confirm its not a faulty meter.
And edit to add, you'd probably get air sputtering from the tap when turning the water back on.
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Post by modbus on Mar 12, 2021 16:44:13 GMT -5
I wouldn't rule out a toilet yet, either. If you have a fill valve that is always leaking a bit, the water in the tank will rise up to the level of the overflow tube and then run down the tube into the bowl. If the valve is consistently leaking all the time, you might not hear the valve coming on and off. I'd throw a little food coloring in the toilet tanks and see what happens.
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Buster
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Post by Buster on Mar 12, 2021 16:47:36 GMT -5
I don't have an irrigation system.
About 25 years ago, I had the same issue and found a line leading from the house to the backyard, where I'm guessing a spigot was located at some point -- the house was built in 1918. I capped the line inside the house and the problem went away. I can't find any other lines leading anywhere.
Where I live, anything past the meter is the responsibility of the homeowner.
I've contacted a plumber who is supposed to drop by tomorrow on his way back from doing another estimate. I'm curious to see what he thinks.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 12, 2021 16:50:32 GMT -5
I think we're responsible for everything past the meter too, so in our case street to house. Best of luck. I hate water issues.
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Post by Taildragger on Mar 12, 2021 17:01:14 GMT -5
If the leak is between the house and the curb, it should be their problem and not yours. Check with your water utility first. In our locality, they are responsible for everything up to and including the meter. From the meter spud on towards the house, it's our responsibility. |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 12, 2021 17:07:53 GMT -5
Three GPH through the meter, with the main in the house closed, is definitely something that requires further investigation.
A good plumber will have equipment to 'see' through the ground and pinpoint the leak.
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Post by dukedog on Mar 12, 2021 19:29:41 GMT -5
I was facing the exact scenario in my last house. Exponentially higher water bill with no leaks to be found inside the house. Shut off all the valves I could find, both at the source and the main valve. Triangle still spinning at the meter. Leak was confirmed at the main lead from the street to the house.
Replacement less than I expected (or at least cheap to me; I know it's relative). I seem to recall paying ~$2500, which included diagnosis, ditch witching the yard, replacing the main pipe, filling everything back in, and even re-seeding the fill spots.
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Post by oldnjplayer on Mar 13, 2021 9:21:44 GMT -5
years ago I had a leak in the line from the street valve to the house. I had water surfacing in my front lawn. Good news was because it preceded the meter the water bill was not increased, bad news I was responsible for replacing line from street to house. I got lucky again as the plumber had a hydraulic device that shot a line from inside the house to the outside meter. This meant they did not have to dig up or trench my front lawn.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 13, 2021 9:27:18 GMT -5
^^ That ^^ is called a sleeve or liner, and is a cheaper option than digging and replacing. And it's just as good as digging and replacing.
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Post by modbus on Mar 15, 2021 13:32:47 GMT -5
So what did you find out?
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Post by slacker 🐨 on Mar 15, 2021 13:54:53 GMT -5
I wouldn't rule out a toilet yet, either. If you have a fill valve that is always leaking a bit, the water in the tank will rise up to the level of the overflow tube and then run down the tube into the bowl. If the valve is consistently leaking all the time, you might not hear the valve coming on and off. I'd throw a little food coloring in the toilet tanks and see what happens. I had this happen to me about 20 years ago. I got a water bill that was about quadruple the norm. Where i live, the meter is on the side of the house, so there's no leak on the approach to the house that would cause a change in water bill. Best of luck. |
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Buster
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Post by Buster on Mar 15, 2021 15:31:44 GMT -5
Shut off the main valve and triangle was still spinning on the meter, so it looks like a leak from the meter to the house.
Had a plumber come by late Saturday. I should have his estimate soon.
His bid will be to run the new line to the front of the house instead of bringing in through the side as it is currently. It'll save about 25 feet of of digging. Once under the foundation, the new line will run under the floor joists and tie in to everything else. The main shutoff valve will be in the same location it is now.
So instead of a 55-foot run undergound, it'll be about 30 feet.
I'm anxious to get his estimate and get this taken care of. I'm guessing this leak is costing me about $10 a day in water and sewer charges.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 15, 2021 15:36:48 GMT -5
Bummer you gotta deal with this. You would think with that much water leakage there would be something evident topside.
Or a sinkhole.😯
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Post by modbus on Mar 15, 2021 16:57:26 GMT -5
Well, fortunately you caught it early.
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Post by LTB on Mar 15, 2021 23:18:35 GMT -5
Hoping you get the issue fixed. Soon. I hate plumbing issues.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 16, 2021 13:04:58 GMT -5
Do you have a sump pump in the basement?
IF you have a basement...
A constantly cycling pump during dry weather is a sign of an underground water leak--either at your house or an adjacent neighbor's.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 16, 2021 13:25:52 GMT -5
An old timer's trick to find an underground leak is to use a post hole digger to poke a hole in the ground, and closely observe the water as it seeps into the hole. The side of the hole it runs down points toward the source of the water:  Obviously this trick is practical when the leaking pipe is no deeper than about three feet. |
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Buster
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Post by Buster on Mar 16, 2021 13:56:15 GMT -5
I'd love to try that Peegoo, but we've had several inches of rain here the last several days, with a couple of more inches expected tomorrow.
The ground is so saturated I'm not sure I would get any indication of where the leak is. We haven't had two straight days of dry weather in a couple of weeks.
And I do have a sump pump in the basement but don't have any seepage. As a matter of fact, the pump hasn't kicked on by itself since I installed it about 15 years ago. I do pour water in the sump pit to test it every 6 months or so to make sure it's still working.
I just heard back from a plumber. $2,400. I'm trying to get an estimate from another plumber because I don't know if that price is high or reasonable.
The plumber that gave me the estimate today said it was "an all day job." He said most of that was labor.
I'm guessing the materials and permits might add up to $400. I don't expect people to work for free but $2,000 for a day's work for him and a helper seems a little steep. But maybe I'm just cheap.
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Post by jhawkr on Mar 16, 2021 14:04:16 GMT -5
Anytime digging is involved it is going to be expensive. Not only an all day job for two people but the contractor had to buy and maintain excavation equipment, tools, licenses, permits, insurance, etc. $2,400 sounds reasonable to me.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Mar 16, 2021 14:59:03 GMT -5
Maybe you could cut a deal with him if he needs a guy with a shovel and you're willing and able. I did that once with a roofer. Of course they laughed at me bringing shingles up half a bundle at a time.
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