Padre Island high water bill (Austin: renter, appliances, house)

[lnatcscrp]

My last water usage was 32,000 gallons, my utility bill was $172.62. I live on the island, so I have a very small lot, but it is entirely grassed and I do irrigate with city water.
I had a well installed years ago and used to water with that, but have since changed over to city water (bad pump, never replaced). I have had the meter inspected and changed, I have had the yard tested to see if there is a water leak-all negative. Is it possible the city water is being drawn into the well plumbing? We had a mandatory back flow device installed about 2 years ago and just wonder if that plumbing could be the cause of my problems.
The house is rented and I am not there to personally check all the valves on the system. If one was opened the wrong way, could the city water be draining in to the ground/well?

[Marlow]

I don't know anything about plumbing, but I do know that even when I water my beds and my yard at the height of summer I rarely use more than 7,000 gallons of water. I'd say you definitely have something else going on. Has your neighbor tapped into your water line to fill a swimming pool or something? Just kidding. Mostly.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by lnatcscrp

My last water usage was 32,000 gallons, my utility bill was $172.62. I live on the island, so I have a very small lot, but it is entirely grassed and I do irrigate with city water.
I had a well installed years ago and used to water with that, but have since changed over to city water (bad pump, never replaced). I have had the meter inspected and changed, I have had the yard tested to see if there is a water leak-all negative. Is it possible the city water is being drawn into the well plumbing? We had a mandatory back flow device installed about 2 years ago and just wonder if that plumbing could be the cause of my problems.
The house is rented and I am not there to personally check all the valves on the system. If one was opened the wrong way, could the city water be draining in to the ground/well?

That is really high, especially for a small lot. Allthough I don't understand how Marlow can get by with only 7,000 gallons! That was my lowest use last year with the sprinkler system off in January! Of course I'm in Austin where we do not get as much rain.

See my post #11 here http://www.city-data.com/forum/austi...r-bills-2.html

Do you have an automatic irrigation system or do you run the hoses manually? Trying hard to conserve last year I water most Zones 12-18 minutes each during the hottest part of the year, and have learned some others in my area say they water less.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by lnatcscrp

My last water usage was 32,000 gallons, my utility bill was $172.62. I live on the island, so I have a very small lot, but it is entirely grassed and I do irrigate with city water.

I had a well installed years ago and used to water with that, but have since changed over to city water (bad pump, never replaced). I have had the meter inspected and changed, I have had the yard tested to see if there is a water leak-all negative. Is it possible the city water is being drawn into the well plumbing? We had a mandatory back flow device installed about 2 years ago and just wonder if that plumbing could be the cause of my problems.

The house is rented and I am not there to personally check all the valves on the system. If one was opened the wrong way, could the city water be draining in to the ground/well?

I'm curious, how did they test the yard for a water leak?

That is incredibly high water usage. If your well is connected to the sprinkler system and you also have a city water connection to the sprinkler system. It is possible that you have city water flowing into the well.

It should be easy to determine if you have water flowing. Just turn all your water using appliances off in and around the house then go watch the water meter, it it is moving then water is flowing somewhere. A valve between the well and sprinkler system, even if only open a little bit could add up to a huge water usage in a months time.

[lnatcscrp]

I spoke to the Corpus water district, who gave me a couple things to check. You can text for running toilets by adding dye to the tank before bedtime, then check to see if the dye is still in the tank come morning without any flushes in between. If the dye is gone, then there is a leak, even one too small to hear. Today, the renter did indicate there had been a running toilet when he moved in. We'll see if that makes a difference.
The way to test the well was to
1. shut the water of at the house, not the street.
2. Turn the valve off at the top of the pressure tank on the well.
3. Check the meter at the street. If the small triangle has quit vibrating, then the city water has stopped running into the well.
If not, then their is a leak in the city system either under/in the house, or in the line running from the street to the house.
A leak in the yard can be detected by an exceptionally green spot in your lawn, or just a soggy place upon inspection.
It is possible for the city water to try and replenish your well. That is why Backflow devices have been mandated in Corpus for those with wells. My backflow device was installed by my irrigation company, not by a plumber. I have reason to believe it was installed incorrectly as it is tied directly into the city water line. It should be separate from this and needs to redone by a licensed plumber.
I will wait and see if the next water bill has been reduced by the toilet situation, but still plan to turn off the valve on top of the pressure tank at the well. Since I don't use well water for irrigation or any other reason, I can do this and eliminate any future possibility of the city water running in to the well. If you plan to use both city and well water, this is not a viable option for you, and you need to make sure your backflow is properly installed to prevent this situation.