Water Bill oddity (Charlotte: homeowners insurance, credit, house)

[mullman]

My 9 year water bill average, at the same residence, is $45.
Sometimes a little lower, sometimes a little higher.
Highest in the same 9 years was $65.

Last month I opened my bill and was greeted with a $192 bill for 21,000+ gallons. We do not irrigate, we do not have a pool - it is absolutely impossible for that to be correct.

With everything shut off in the house I went down and checked the meter and over a two hour period NOTHING was registered, so there is no leak between the meter and the house (which would be my problem).

Armed with this information, I call the wonderful City of Charlotte H20 dept and they told me they would investigate.
Saturday I received a revised bill reducing last month to $151, still $100+ over my average with no changes in usage or habits.

This is still completely outrageous and impossible that we used that much water.

Thoughts?

[FrankTheTank2]

very interesting. I know there are several similar threads like this on the forum which I suggest you read. Other then that I have no idea?

[nascarnancy]

We noticed back in Nov our waterbill had gone up and in Feb after the second snow our main water line finally showed signs of it leaking through the seams on the driveway. DH checked the meter and it was spinning. But I don't think the cost was that big of a jump like your bill. That was a $3200 fix it.

[anifani821]

Our next door neighbor was hit w/ a several thousand dollar bill, wh/ was automatically deducted from his checking account! Can't remember the amount now - seems it was around $1800 for one month. Turns out a pipe had broken underground. It took him months to get things rectified. The city wouldn't take responsibility at first, etc. etc.

Now, our bill has about doubled but not b/c of water consumption. It is b/c of sewer charges, wh/ makes no sense to me as our usage is actually DOWN as compared to years past, but I have written several emails and made phone calls and all anyone will tell me is the standard line about sewer charges going up.

[Carolina Blue]

Originally Posted by mullman

My 9 year water bill average, at the same residence, is $45.
Sometimes a little lower, sometimes a little higher.
Highest in the same 9 years was $65.

Last month I opened my bill and was greeted with a $192 bill for 21,000+ gallons. We do not irrigate, we do not have a pool - it is absolutely impossible for that to be correct.

With everything shut off in the house I went down and checked the meter and over a two hour period NOTHING was registered, so there is no leak between the meter and the house (which would be my problem).

Armed with this information, I call the wonderful City of Charlotte H20 dept and they told me they would investigate.
Saturday I received a revised bill reducing last month to $151, still $100+ over my average with no changes in usage or habits.

This is still completely outrageous and impossible that we used that much water.

Thoughts?

I had a similar situation and it definitely sounds like you have a leak. You did a pretty good self test, but I would not consider that to be the most scientific. It could be that it leaks only at certain times. It could be anything. But it definitely sounds like you have a leak. The good news is that the city will reduce your bill, free of charge, if it is a leak; rather it’s on their end or yours. At least that was my experience.

You should call the city first, they’ll come out and look and determine if it’s a problem or their end or not. If it’s not something on their end, they’ll let you know. If they say it’s something on your end, call your insurance company and they’ll recommend someone to come out and look at what’s wrong.

[Carolina Blue]

Sorry, didn’t read your post thoroughly. It sounds like they’ve already determined it’s a problem on your end. You can do a couple of things now. You can call somebody who will give you a free estimate, like Roter Rooter, and they’ll come out to determine if it is a leak. Or call your insurance company and tell them you think you have a leak. But to be clear, my experience was that once the city determined (through me and my insurance) that I had a leak; they credited me back considerably for the previous charges. And also, if you do have some like Roter Rooter come out, just use them to determine there's a leak. You don't want to use them to fix the problem. I'd recommend using your insurnace company.

[mullman]

CB,

Thanks for the reply, but IF I turn off everything in the house and the meter on the street is NOT moving (the little 'activity' wheel turns even if just one faucet has a tiny stream - it shows the most miniscule amount of flow) how could there be a leak on my side?

In my experience shutting off everything in the house and seeing the meter register flow would determine a leak on my side of things (say under the house). Since a home's water system maintains a constant pressure (based on supply pressure), nearly all leaks on my side would have to be constant.

[ChelleC]

See that new pool over at your neighbor's house and all those lovely new plantings around it? He thanks you for the free water.

Also, the lady in the Charlotte H2O office says thanks for her new handbag. Sorry for the typo, but really, it matches her shoes so nicely.

[nascarnancy]

Originally Posted by Carolina Blue

Sorry, didn’t read your post thoroughly. It sounds like they’ve already determined it’s a problem on your end. You can do a couple of things now. You can call somebody who will give you a free estimate, like Roter Rooter, and they’ll come out to determine if it is a leak. Or call your insurance company and tell them you think you have a leak. But to be clear, my experience was that once the city determined (through me and my insurance) that I had a leak; they credited me back considerably for the previous charges. And also, if you do have some like Roter Rooter come out, just use them to determine there's a leak. You don't want to use them to fix the problem. I'd recommend using your insurnace company.

We called our homeowners insurance and they don't cover it. Apparently very few will.

[Carolina Blue]

Originally Posted by mullman

CB,

Thanks for the reply, but IF I turn off everything in the house and the meter on the street is NOT moving (the little 'activity' wheel turns even if just one faucet has a tiny stream - it shows the most miniscule amount of flow) how could there be a leak on my side?

In my experience shutting off everything in the house and seeing the meter register flow would determine a leak on my side of things (say under the house). Since a home's water system maintains a constant pressure (based on supply pressure), nearly all leaks on my side would have to be constant.

I think the assumption you’re making is that the leak is constant. Perhaps it only occurs during certain temperatures, or during certain times of the day when there’s more vibration? Who knows. And you may be correct; it may not be a leak. However at this point, your only choice unfortunately is to have a professional come out and determine what’s wrong. That’s why I say check with someone who will come out for free. They’ll not only confirm what’s wrong, but also confirm if it’s really not the city’s issue. Unfortunately the city has said it not on their end, so they’re not going to do anything (reduce the bill, fix the problem, etc.) until you can tell them exactly what’s wrong. Unfortunately the onus is on you now.

And as for the insurance covering it, mine did. I just had to pay the deductable. Depending on the costs, it might not be cost effective to file a claim, but if someone's not covered for something like a water leak, they might want to consider getting a new agent/insurer.