So, the city water guys calls me the other day and relates that the water usage for the place has gone up dramatically in the past few weeks. He said that, on average, we've used around 7,500 gallons per month, but so far this month the meter reads over 35,000 gallons usage!! I tell him that I'm just the renter of the downstairs apartment, but am still very concerned because I pay the water bill for the house. (note: the upstairs tenants pay the gas and electric.) I told him that I would notify the landlord/owner and see what's up..........which I did. I get a text from the landlord later that evening telling me that he had been to the house and found that the upstairs tenants' toilet was leaking, that it was now fixed, and to take anything above and beyond the normal water bill of next month's rent payment. Cool. OK, but then I got to thinking: Really? A leaky toilet caused 5x as much water use for the house? Hmmmmmm.....just didn't seem right. Sure, there's a dope growing operation going on in the shop, but that's been going on for for months. i'm not seeing that that has caused the increase. I guess I'll just have wait and see how this all fleshes out...
Serious? And if you are serious....... is it legal? Sounds a bit suspect to me. My in-laws had a leaky toilet in their bathroom that basically leaked the entire time between visits (the house was unoccupied as it was for sale). The total gallonage was nowhere near that. Given the recent freeze, if the usage continues, it could be there's a pipe somewhere that is leaking.
Or they've been spending a lot of time in the shower. At least your landlord isn't holding you responsible and is allowing you to deduct the difference.
No kidding. I'm just glad said dope grower will be moving. Plus, he has pits that I feel very sorry for. He never lets them out of their respective cages. Just brings in hay for their small kennels and calls it a day. Jerkwad.
A swimming pool that measures 12 feet by 30 feet with an average depth of 6 feet holds 16,156.8 gallons of water. 35,000 gallons is more than two pools' worth of water. If you used a garden hose to pour 35,000 gallons of water onto the ground, it'd take at least 30 hours. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_gallons_are_in_a_swimming_pool http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090606152057AA2aXDQ
Now relate that to a leaking toilet. Do the math, DC. The 35,00 gallons calculation seem a bit low (in terms of hours to me). I'd say our pool was probably a little deeper than the pool in your example, but otherwise similar in size. I'd say it took us a good 24 hours to fill it, if not a little longer. Obviously, water pressure plays into it, but I'd say the hose pressure was typical (relative to every outdoor water spigot I've ever used).
Depending on how much the toilet was leaking (and assuming that the grow operation has been going on all along anyway) then it seems perfectly reasonable that the spike in water usage could have come from just the toilet trying to constantly fill. (think about how much time it takes for a tank to fill).
Speaking of which, I had it out with the guy today. Good new is, he's moving his operation in mid-March.
I think you're right...I remember always hearing a strange sound above me. Thought it was the gas moving through the pipes. I'm now certain it was the water....as I don't hear it anymore.
hmm we had a toilet at work that the owner ignored..for the want of a 12 dollar repair kit it blew his water bill into the friggin outragous range..a dope grow wont use that much water...now if the electric bill went nuts...yeah..I would say that is a grow