"DAVID ALEXANDER" wrote in message
...
Last week, when I got my water bill, it was a whopping $185.00. On
checking
my water meter, it was spinning at the rate of about 3 gallons per minute.
I checked for anything leaking in the house and didn't find anything. The
same for the outside faucets. There's no evidence of water leaks outside,
no damp spots, etc.

My plumber came out and checked everything, but couldn't come up with
anything. I called the city water folks and one of them came out and
looked
all around, even using a listening device they have. He couldn't find
anything, either, although he said the sounds were louder on the end of
the
house where the septic tank and an outside faucet are located.

I haven't been able to locate the valve next to the house that turns off
all
of the water, so I went home after the city water guy left, determined to
dig up my yard if needed. I went to turn off the water so we wouldn't
waste
any more, and found that the meter was no longer running! I couldn't
believe it.

I called the city guy and told him that the meter had stopped, and he
could
hardly believe it. We both know a leak doesn't plug itself. He had no
suggestions. I was just grateful that it had stopped.

I kept an eye on the meter for a couple of hours and it didn't budge.
However, a few hours later, just before I went to bed, I decided to check
it
again and, sure enough, it was running again for no reason.

Any suggestions or analysis would be appreciated.

Was a neighbor watering his lawn at the same time? Do you
have a sprinkler system?

Bob