To update the group on the latest, let me give some more facts:

1. I live on a three acre plot and there's no way that neighbors could be
stealing water. No construction in the area either, and I haven't done
anything lately involving digging.
2. Turning off the main valve stops the flow.
3. I can hear water hissing as the main valve is turned off.
4. The main valve is next to the street, about a hundred feet from my
house.
5. I don't have an underground sprinkler system.
6. I've turned off everything possible inside the house (toilets), and the
water still runs.
7. The water meter is mechanical, not electronic. I can't vouce for its
accuracy, but I know that water is coming into the system.
8. I did find one toilet with a silent leak. It drained about half the
tank in an hour. It's something to definitely fix, but not the cause of the
major leak that I have.
9. The fact that the leak stopped for several hours has made me question my
own sanity, but I know it did.

Yesterday, I went home early once again to attempt to find the shutoff
valve next to the house. I went to the outside faucet where I believe the
water line enters the house. I could hear water hissing as I got close to
the faucet. I called my plumber and he's supposed to come by this morning
and check it out. Hopefully, he can determine something.

I also dug down by the footing of the house under the faucet where I heard
the hissing, but didn't find a water line. It must enter the house at a
different spot. The faucet is located on the north side, so the line must
enter at the northeast corner since that's the direction the main line
points to from the meter. Naturally, there's a large shrub bed at that
corner to inhibit digging. I'll let the plumber's younger crew do the
digging. Hopefully, the leak will be found outside the house since it's
built on a slab. I just hope it doesn't require tearing into the slab to
try to determine where the leak is.

You would think a 4000 gallon per day leak would be easy to find, but I
haven't seen any evidence of it yet. There are damp areas on the north side
of the house, but we had a good rain a few days ago and that area is in
shade, so it's not surprising that it is damp.

Thanks for the suggestions.

David Alexander
Camden, AR

Has the plumber shown up yet??

Don't you have individual line shutoff valves in the house, to help isolate
the problem?
I have a bunch, all over. Most of'em don't work , but they are there.

It's not clear where the suspect fawcet/line is--outside hose spigot?
And you still seem concerned w/ where the main line enters the house. Is
this because you can't tell if the hissing is main-line water flow (before
the meter), or the possible culprit (after the meter)?
Also,
You mention the main shut-off being outside the house. Is the meter also
outside the house? W/ buried line before entering the house?

If you don't have individual shut offs for the various lines, AND you can't
sleuth down this problem, you might want to put some in, to at least narrow
the problem.
This is not a minor job, but there are various ways to do this, depending on
what type of plumbing you have: brass, pvc, copper, iron. Some
quick/dirty, others less-quick/more correct.

Would such a leak cause a more lush foliage in that vicinity? More-so than
your neighbors?
--
------
Mr. P.V.'d (formerly Droll Troll), Yonkers, NY

Stop Corruption in Congress & Send the Ultimate Message:
Absolutely Vote, but NOT for a Democrat or a Republican.
Ending Corruption in Congress is the *Single Best Way*
to Materially Improve Your Family's Life.
The Solution is so simple--and inexpensive!

entropic3.14decay at optonline2.718 dot net; remove pi and e to reply--ie,
all d'numbuhs

"DAVID ALEXANDER" wrote in message
...
To update the group on the latest, let me give some more facts:

1. I live on a three acre plot and there's no way that neighbors could be
stealing water. No construction in the area either, and I haven't done
anything lately involving digging.
2. Turning off the main valve stops the flow.
3. I can hear water hissing as the main valve is turned off.
4. The main valve is next to the street, about a hundred feet from my
house.
5. I don't have an underground sprinkler system.
6. I've turned off everything possible inside the house (toilets), and
the water still runs.
7. The water meter is mechanical, not electronic. I can't vouce for its
accuracy, but I know that water is coming into the system.
8. I did find one toilet with a silent leak. It drained about half the
tank in an hour. It's something to definitely fix, but not the cause of
the major leak that I have.
9. The fact that the leak stopped for several hours has made me question
my own sanity, but I know it did.

Yesterday, I went home early once again to attempt to find the shutoff
valve next to the house. I went to the outside faucet where I believe the
water line enters the house. I could hear water hissing as I got close to
the faucet. I called my plumber and he's supposed to come by this morning
and check it out. Hopefully, he can determine something.

I also dug down by the footing of the house under the faucet where I heard
the hissing, but didn't find a water line. It must enter the house at a
different spot. The faucet is located on the north side, so the line must
enter at the northeast corner since that's the direction the main line
points to from the meter. Naturally, there's a large shrub bed at that
corner to inhibit digging. I'll let the plumber's younger crew do the
digging. Hopefully, the leak will be found outside the house since it's
built on a slab. I just hope it doesn't require tearing into the slab to
try to determine where the leak is.

You would think a 4000 gallon per day leak would be easy to find, but I
haven't seen any evidence of it yet. There are damp areas on the north
side of the house, but we had a good rain a few days ago and that area is
in shade, so it's not surprising that it is damp.

Thanks for the suggestions.

David Alexander
Camden, AR

"DAVID ALEXANDER" wrote in message
...
To update the group on the latest, let me give some more facts:

1. I live on a three acre plot and there's no way that neighbors could be
stealing water. No construction in the area either, and I haven't done
anything lately involving digging.
2. Turning off the main valve stops the flow.
3. I can hear water hissing as the main valve is turned off.
4. The main valve is next to the street, about a hundred feet from my
house.
5. I don't have an underground sprinkler system.
6. I've turned off everything possible inside the house (toilets), and
the
water still runs.
7. The water meter is mechanical, not electronic. I can't vouce for its
accuracy, but I know that water is coming into the system.
8. I did find one toilet with a silent leak. It drained about half the
tank in an hour. It's something to definitely fix, but not the cause of
the
major leak that I have.
9. The fact that the leak stopped for several hours has made me question
my
own sanity, but I know it did.

Yesterday, I went home early once again to attempt to find the shutoff
valve next to the house. I went to the outside faucet where I believe the
water line enters the house. I could hear water hissing as I got close to
the faucet. I called my plumber and he's supposed to come by this morning
and check it out. Hopefully, he can determine something.

I also dug down by the footing of the house under the faucet where I heard
the hissing, but didn't find a water line. It must enter the house at a
different spot. The faucet is located on the north side, so the line must
enter at the northeast corner since that's the direction the main line
points to from the meter. Naturally, there's a large shrub bed at that
corner to inhibit digging. I'll let the plumber's younger crew do the
digging. Hopefully, the leak will be found outside the house since it's
built on a slab. I just hope it doesn't require tearing into the slab to
try to determine where the leak is.

You would think a 4000 gallon per day leak would be easy to find, but I
haven't seen any evidence of it yet. There are damp areas on the north
side
of the house, but we had a good rain a few days ago and that area is in
shade, so it's not surprising that it is damp.


You might consider hiring some minimum wage workers to dig
and find the leak. It would be a lot cheaper than having plumbers
do it.

At least you know that you have good drainage around your house.

Bob

Bob F wrote:
"DAVID ALEXANDER" wrote in message
...
To update the group on the latest, let me give some more facts:

1. I live on a three acre plot and there's no way that neighbors could be
stealing water. No construction in the area either, and I haven't done
anything lately involving digging.
2. Turning off the main valve stops the flow.
3. I can hear water hissing as the main valve is turned off.
4. The main valve is next to the street, about a hundred feet from my
house.
5. I don't have an underground sprinkler system.
6. I've turned off everything possible inside the house (toilets), and
the
water still runs.
7. The water meter is mechanical, not electronic. I can't vouce for its
accuracy, but I know that water is coming into the system.
8. I did find one toilet with a silent leak. It drained about half the
tank in an hour. It's something to definitely fix, but not the cause of
the
major leak that I have.
9. The fact that the leak stopped for several hours has made me question
my
own sanity, but I know it did.

Yesterday, I went home early once again to attempt to find the shutoff
valve next to the house. I went to the outside faucet where I believe the
water line enters the house. I could hear water hissing as I got close to
the faucet. I called my plumber and he's supposed to come by this morning
and check it out. Hopefully, he can determine something.

I also dug down by the footing of the house under the faucet where I heard
the hissing, but didn't find a water line. It must enter the house at a
different spot. The faucet is located on the north side, so the line must
enter at the northeast corner since that's the direction the main line
points to from the meter. Naturally, there's a large shrub bed at that
corner to inhibit digging. I'll let the plumber's younger crew do the
digging. Hopefully, the leak will be found outside the house since it's
built on a slab. I just hope it doesn't require tearing into the slab to
try to determine where the leak is.

You would think a 4000 gallon per day leak would be easy to find, but I
haven't seen any evidence of it yet. There are damp areas on the north
side
of the house, but we had a good rain a few days ago and that area is in
shade, so it's not surprising that it is damp.


You might consider hiring some minimum wage workers to dig
and find the leak. It would be a lot cheaper than having plumbers
do it.

At least you know that you have good drainage around your house.

Bob


That's good advice. But his first problem appears to be that no one
knows where to dig. Instead of calling the $$$ plumbers, I'd call the
utility mark out service. Here in NJ there is one # to call before
doing any digging. The service comes out and marks, gas, water, elec,
etc for free.

Then, at least you know where to dig. Next, I'd get a shutoff valve
installed, either inside the house if the pipe is accessible close to
where it enters, or else outside. Then, you can at least determine if
the leak is inside or out.

Also, after finding and fixing the leak, if you've been paying more
than the minimum water bill, I'd contact the water utility. Some, will
go back and adjusts some bills to give you a break.

"DAVID ALEXANDER" wrote in message news:950f6$45533fc9
6. I've turned off everything possible inside the house (toilets), and
the water still runs.


Do you have hot water baseboard heat? Is there an automatic fill valve on
it?


I just hope it doesn't require tearing into the slab to try to determine
where the leak is.

This is what made me think of hte baseboard leaking. I had a similar
problem, but it was a mere trickle. Took a couple of days to finally find
th eleak as it was not visible.

--
------
Mr. P.V.'d (formerly Droll Troll), Yonkers, NY

Stop Corruption in Congress & Send the Ultimate Message:
Absolutely Vote, but NOT for a Democrat or a Republican.
Ending Corruption in Congress is the *Single Best Way*
to Materially Improve Your Family's Life.
The Solution is so simple--and inexpensive!

entropic3.14decay at optonline2.718 dot net; remove pi and e to reply--ie,
all d'numbuhs

"DAVID ALEXANDER" wrote in message
...
To update the group on the latest, let me give some more facts:

1. I live on a three acre plot and there's no way that neighbors could be
stealing water. No construction in the area either, and I haven't done
anything lately involving digging.
2. Turning off the main valve stops the flow.
3. I can hear water hissing as the main valve is turned off.
4. The main valve is next to the street, about a hundred feet from my
house.
5. I don't have an underground sprinkler system.
6. I've turned off everything possible inside the house (toilets), and
the water still runs.
7. The water meter is mechanical, not electronic. I can't vouce for its
accuracy, but I know that water is coming into the system.
8. I did find one toilet with a silent leak. It drained about half the
tank in an hour. It's something to definitely fix, but not the cause of
the major leak that I have.
9. The fact that the leak stopped for several hours has made me question
my own sanity, but I know it did.

Yesterday, I went home early once again to attempt to find the shutoff
valve next to the house. I went to the outside faucet where I believe the
water line enters the house. I could hear water hissing as I got close to
the faucet. I called my plumber and he's supposed to come by this morning
and check it out. Hopefully, he can determine something.

I also dug down by the footing of the house under the faucet where I heard
the hissing, but didn't find a water line. It must enter the house at a
different spot. The faucet is located on the north side, so the line must
enter at the northeast corner since that's the direction the main line
points to from the meter. Naturally, there's a large shrub bed at that
corner to inhibit digging. I'll let the plumber's younger crew do the
digging. Hopefully, the leak will be found outside the house since it's
built on a slab. I just hope it doesn't require tearing into the slab to
try to determine where the leak is.

You would think a 4000 gallon per day leak would be easy to find, but I
haven't seen any evidence of it yet. There are damp areas on the north
side of the house, but we had a good rain a few days ago and that area is
in shade, so it's not surprising that it is damp.

Thanks for the suggestions.

David Alexander
Camden, AR