On Wednesday, November 8, 2006 at 11:22:30 AM UTC-5, DAVID ALEXANDER wrote:
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.
David Alexander
Shut the main valve off in the basement. If your water meter is still spinning, turn the water back on, and get your video camera. Record the meter spinning with the water on, and then keep recording when you go shut it off, and go back to it still spinning. You might need it for the lawsuit against the water company if they don't want to pony up a refund.
....but really, the odds are it's going somewhere. Sounds like A LOT too. I'd normally say check your toilets, but you may have a pipe under the foundation or something that burst, creating a nice little sinkhole. That's not the water company's problem.
That main valve is SOMEWHERE, and it's usually not far from the meter. If the house was made less than 30 or 40 years ago it's probably a ball valve. Looks like this.
http://www.cranecpe.com/images/dmIma...all-valves.jpg