All Forum Posts by: Mike A.

I'm glad it 'fixed itself'.  Now what are they going to do about the $2.5K bill since they took about 3 months to notify you about the spike in usage? 

Turn off all the facilities that use water. If the water meter still runs, it is the problem of water meter, you just need to change one. If the water meter stops, there must have some place leak.

I saw a leak where the water main between the meter and the house had begun to leak. The cast iron sewer line had some leaky joints, and between the two was maybe 10-15'. What happens is water seeks the path of least resistance, so a trench creates a soil conduit where the old and new dirt have differing density, and water tends to follow the old trench. The leaking water started out by travelling uniformly underground from the water line (like a puddle would on the floor going in all directions) until it 'hit' the old sewer trench 10' away, then it continued inside the dirt of the trench until it reached a leaky joint in the sewer. Now the water starts to 'run' in that direction instead of spread like a puddle. After several weeks of leaking into the joint the dirt had washed away creating a 'tunnel' that was more or less a direct shot from the leak in the water line to the leak into the sewer line....and all the leaky water just 'disappeared'....it's just like an underground stream creating a cave, only difference is it's man made and you're paying for it.

I'm not saying it is what is happening here....but you say there is a basement, any chance it is leaking into your drain tile/sump and being discharged?

If the meter stops moving when you shut off the main, then there is no leak from the point of connection from the water main to your meter that would cause your meter to read a higher flow. My advice would be to install shut offs before each unit and turn them all off and open one at a time to see which unit makes the meter flow. All the hot water tanks should have a shut off on the cold in water line into the tank, make sure they are all off as well and open a hot water outlet to relieve the pressure. You can then open one unit at a time and check the meter to see which, if any unit has a continuous run.

@Mike A. I have seen a running toilet cause a whole lot of financial damage to owners before.  I would have to assume you have a running toilet or an underground leak that is not showing up in the property. 

@Mike A. When you said the meter dial “spins out of control” did you bother to watch and approximate the GPM flow?  If turning the main house cutoff stops the meter, and the meter turns with the valve open....obviously there is a flow.  I don’t think the gear mechanism in the meter could produce a false high reading, but I’m not sure.  I could see it “slipping” and produce a false low reading.

BTW, just 1 GPM is over 40,000 gallons a month. Is this a slab home? Are there any underground pipes downstream of the main shut off valve?

One of your tenants can't sleep unless the shower is running through the night.

If you are saying the basement is dry and there is no water throughout the building, then it is going down the drain somewhere (or out through a hose to another building/structure from your outside connectors). 

Look at the water heater (put your ear on it if needed) sometime the temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve at a water heater leaks.