Should I be worried? What would you do?

Question

Hello BP community - I got this message from my property manager in Huntsville on Monday (yesterday):

"This is the tenant at XXXX Apt. C. I got a call from Huntsville Utilities last night saying that there is something going on with the water here. They said that the city is concerned about the amount water that is being used. They know it's not us due to the amount being used..." They said they sent a meter reader out already but they don't know were its coming from so they asked us to reach out to the apartment management. They haven't even sent us a bill because of how high it is, there's no way it could of been us using that high amount of water"

"Okay, I was told the meter is spinning like crazy and there is no evidence of the water on the ground, which is why we need to get the leak detector out there to make sure its not under the slab. We have it scheduled for this Thursday."

To get a leak detector out there is $400-$600.

Couple of questions:

- Should I be concerned about the situation and how long it is going to take to get a leak detector out there (4 days)?

- Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation? What was the aftermath?

- Who is responsible for insanely high water bill?

Many thanks!

Michael S. · Answer

@Tim Windhorst - Huntsville Utilities is typically very good about notifying folks if the water usage is excessive - they do not wait until your water bill is thousands of dollars.  So I would take their message as legit.

I will answer your questions below:

- Should I be concerned about the situation and how long it is going to take to get a leak detector out there (4 days)?

Yes, you should be concerned, because if the leak is on your side of meter, it will likely be your cost for the water and repair.  We've had crazy weather here with Artic temperatures recently, which is uncommon for this area, with more stories of broken pipes than I can ever remember.  It would not surprise me if you have a leak as a result.  I've never used a "leak detector" because typically they show themselves after a plumber has evaluated it.

- Has anyone dealt with this kind of situation? What was the aftermath?

As above - if the leak is on your side of the meter, it will be your cost basis and repair cost.  That said, Huntsville Utilities does not wait until your bill is thousands of dollars to call, they call pretty quickly when they detect an issue.

- Who is responsible for insanely high water bill?

See above.

However, you said you have a property manager - I am unclear why they didn't address the issue immediately by sending a plumber and shutting off the water to the property.  When we have a water issue, I hear about it immediately as well as what the property manager has ALREADY done to address the issue.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Excessive water use is most commonly due to a running toilet. One toilet running constantly can spend 30 gallons of water a day or more. I've seen bills jump hundreds of dollars in one month. Start by inspecting all the toilets to see if one is constantly running/flushing and you'll probably find your culprit.

In the future, stress this to your tenants. If they don't report a running toilet and the bill runs up, they can be held liable.

Bjorn Ahlblad · Answer

While waiting for the leak detector I'd turn the water off at the sidewalk and see if the meter keeps spinning. Then I would see if there are signs of accumulated water  at the foundation or crawl space or whatever. If the meter keeps spinning with the water shut off that is a faulty meter-rare but you need to rule that out. Take some pics as you work on this. I have dealt with this...........there was a broken pipe and the bill was on me. All the best!

Chris Mignone · Answer

@Tim Windhorst I just had a $350 water bill on my duplex in Huntsville and it was a bad master valve on one of the toilets. It was running nonstop and the tenant didn’t realize or care. The weather has been very cold down there recently as well, so there could be a burst pipe somewhere as well.

Carini Rochester · Answer

I see that three days have gone by since you asked the question. Any outcome to this problem yet?

Carini Rochester · Answer

Water leaking between the street and the meter will not be metered, so, no reason to shut it off at the street. There should be a shut off by the meter, two shut offs actually. One on the utility side of the meter, and one on the house side. Shut off either one or both. Running water makes noise in the pipes. Do you hear running water when you are standing by the meter? Does it get quiet when you shut off the valves? Large quantities of water with no evidence of anything getting wet sounds like a faulty meter to me. However, we have basements here with almost no supply pipes under the slab. I guess all that water could be under the slab.

Greg M. · Answer

If you can't shut the water off completely, consider partially closing the valve. That will help reduce the amount of water flowing through it. Also consider closing it off during the night (with notice to the tenants). Not much need for water from midnight to 6 AM.

You are likely responsible for the upcoming massive water bill. However, the water company may forgive the overage. Some utilities will forgive the overage with proof of problem and repair.

Should I be worried? What would you do?

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