USNRET Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Over a 6 week time span these caused small leaks that we (I) did not detect by sight nor sound. This month's water bill doubled and when I checked with the helpful city utilities we discovered an increase from a monthly average of 4500 gallons to 9000 gallons. Meter read electronically 3 times a day graphed to show a steadily increasing water usage. Watching the triangle 'spinner' at the meter I saw a steady - short usage every 3-5 minutes. At $19.43 each delivered overnight from the prime big river place for a total of $58.29 which is just about what my monthly bill increased by. SMALL LEAKS MATTER. edit: changing just the flapper valve with one from the big box stores cataloged to be THE replacement for Kohler did not fix it as I saw small air bubbles still escaping. I love toilet work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Hear you there Mike. Just had the plumber over yesterday to repair a faucet farthest from well pump. Discovered it just after but, that is electrical. Dang, water costs nowadays. wow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Normally when they leak you'll hear the commode flush when the level gets low enough. You can also test them for leaks by putting food coloring in the tank water. If you see the dye in the bowl you've found your leak. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Nothing personal Mike but your house sucks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybob Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Quote No that sounds like the fix. Or lead to it. Good stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 I hear you Carl. It is our habit to close all water closet doors which are located within the bathrooms whose doors we also close so I didn't hear the refill happening. Good sound proofing vs crappy parts, kids that don't pay attention, a deaf wife and my inattention. Two more years in this house and then the new owners should be good to go since everything will have been replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Well that's money down the drain. Good thing you caught it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 10 hours ago, CECAA850 said: Nothing personal Mike but your house sucks. Bad dog, bad dog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rummy Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 I put my wife in charge of watering the yard this year due to my health. Had a water bill of $180.00 for July! She tapered back to $100.00 for August. Water does cost more these days, that is for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssh Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 My cement pond (full of Goldfish) went close-to-dry years ago and I ignorantly filled it from my outside faucet. The bill was over $800, most of it being sewer cost. SSH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woofers and Tweeters Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 5 minutes ago, ssh said: My cement pond (full of Goldfish) went close-to-dry years ago and I ignorantly filled it from my outside faucet. The bill was over $800, most of it being sewer cost. SSH That's what most people forget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Our town has a billing system where the sewage cost is fixed year on year. It is calculated using average water use during December, January, and February. So we just conserve like crazy during those months. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted October 2, 2016 Author Share Posted October 2, 2016 We use an aerobic septic system. Gas used for water heater only. Drinking and cooking from bottle water. Irrigation from well. Water: 66.29 (52 more than last month) Gas: 25.21 Garbage: 24.31 for once a week pickup Street fee: 5.38 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 A friend of mine lives in an area that charges as much for water as they do for sewage. They figure all the water that comes out of the faucet has to go somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 I have a shower faucet that I have replaced fittings/washers and it only stays good for about two weeks. Still, our last water bill was $22, and that is with us watering the garden pretty heavily this summer. If I replace the shower faucet, I will have to dismantle part of the bathroom on the other side of the wall to get to it. The present shower has a bazillion 1 inch tiles. Bruce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 YEA Belton charges same for sewer and water but what sucks is you get charged for 1500 gallons whether or not you use 1500. So no incentive to conserve under 1500 gallons. So the bill is always 48 bucks even if you don't use any water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 1 hour ago, Marvel said: I have a shower faucet that I have replaced fittings/washers and it only stays good for about two weeks. Still, our last water bill was $22, and that is with us watering the garden pretty heavily this summer. If I replace the shower faucet, I will have to dismantle part of the bathroom on the other side of the wall to get to it. The present shower has a bazillion 1 inch tiles. Bruce The back wall is normally much easier than the front for valve access unless you're remodeling. If the problem is dripping from the washers not sealing then you've got bad seats which are replaceable as well. They can be accessed through the front of the valve with no damage to the existing shower wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Oh, I know, as I replaced them early in the summer. The seats looked fine, but I will check them again. I finally bought my own wrench for the meter. The neighbor next to us has a second valve on his water line, but mine is missing one. I'm thinking of getting a quote to replace the line from the street to the house. I have a feeling it has some pretty heavy lime/mineral build up. The house was built in '62, and our original plan was to replace everything under the house with PEX when we did some other remodeling. It may never happen, as a plumber friend who was going to do the PEX as a side job decided to move to Montana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktate Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Marvel you might check into what my dad did when I was about 10 or 12..lol. This guy he knew ran a company and the drilled in the basement wall out to the meter and put in a copper line took them about an hour. The other way digging up the yard and doing it seem kinda stupid to me after I saw that. I watched them do the whole thing it was awesome to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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