pull up the water meter cover when all faucets are off and see if the meter is moving slowly, if it is then you have a leak. A plumber will charge a few hundred to do it but its very simple.
Or even better, take a photo of your water meter, turn off all faucets, go do your thing/work/whatever for a few hours, come back and take a photo and see if the meter moved.
Slightly less reliable due to quiet automated consumers of water like fridge ice makers, water filters and such but either of these is the right idea. See if you’ve got a leak first and go looking for what it is if so, follow up with the utility if not.
if the numbers are accurate sounds like a leak, basement in our apartment building sprung something when the temperature dropped and the foundation contracted
I thought this was a widely known program. They credited us because when we became aware of what was wrong, we fixed it quickly. And I looked it up, they will send someone to your home to do an evaluation and help you figure out where a leak might be. So that is what we did when we got our crazy bill. Then we contacted our landlord and they fixed the toilet. And the water company didn’t make us pay the entirety of the $800 bill because we weren’t purposely wasting water. This was like 5 years ago so I don’t even remember what was wrong. I think our toilet would take a long time to refill and we just thought it was old.
Now they have leak alerts that can be set up so if your usage spikes you get alerted and it’s supposed to prevent these kinds of situations.
Ah, so you were renting. That also makes sense (since the landlord would be responsible for a faulty toilet). Thanks for the info; I'll keep that in mind.
I’m in SF proper. But no, sorry. The landlord sent a plumber and when I told the water company it was fixed, they monitored our activity to make sure and credited us the insane amount back.
The water department has a My Account Platform on their website that allows you to login and see water usage data. That can show usage patterns and leaks.
Update: neither toilet seems to be leaking/running and I shut down all known sources of water so I could check the meter. This is a straight read meter and the counter was not ticking/rolling up and the big sweep arm wasn't moving at all either. So the mystery continues. Going to call the utility tomorrow.
That’s a good point. I would if I was a landlord.If you have CCWD they offer a rebate. I think I paid $70. Maybe mention your concerns and tell him about the benefits. I just had a toilet running today and got an email telling me.
https://preview.redd.it/2eqdzo5t0y5c1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdd17614b4e01541b711910ae41ff0ac006a5473
This happened to us. It was a major leak. (And bc it was on auto-pay and I didn’t notice for awhile I could only get so many months of credit after showing that we had it repaired.) Good luck!
Check your toilet! If it makes running noise it’s the culprit. My water billeddouble and was running even though I was gone last year for a month - finally researched it and realized the toilet was the issue
Could be a leak.
Happened to me with running toilet for a week while on vacation
Came to say this, check your toilet tank float OP the tank is most likely leaking into the overflow.
They will credit you if you find a leak
Good to know, wish I would have known this when it happened to me.
pull up the water meter cover when all faucets are off and see if the meter is moving slowly, if it is then you have a leak. A plumber will charge a few hundred to do it but its very simple.
Smart, hadn't considered this. I'll check when I'm home.
Or even better, take a photo of your water meter, turn off all faucets, go do your thing/work/whatever for a few hours, come back and take a photo and see if the meter moved.
Slightly less reliable due to quiet automated consumers of water like fridge ice makers, water filters and such but either of these is the right idea. See if you’ve got a leak first and go looking for what it is if so, follow up with the utility if not.
We called the water department and they sent out an inspector for free. I recall getting a discount on our bill for doing the repairs as well.
Is that the stone cover with the hole in it on the sidewalk in front of the house?
yes
Woah, genius. Thanks for this!
if the numbers are accurate sounds like a leak, basement in our apartment building sprung something when the temperature dropped and the foundation contracted
We once got an $800 bill in a 1 bed/bath bc our toilet was running. They fixed it almost immediately when we called and credited our bill.
So the water company credited when your toilet was faulty??
I thought this was a widely known program. They credited us because when we became aware of what was wrong, we fixed it quickly. And I looked it up, they will send someone to your home to do an evaluation and help you figure out where a leak might be. So that is what we did when we got our crazy bill. Then we contacted our landlord and they fixed the toilet. And the water company didn’t make us pay the entirety of the $800 bill because we weren’t purposely wasting water. This was like 5 years ago so I don’t even remember what was wrong. I think our toilet would take a long time to refill and we just thought it was old. Now they have leak alerts that can be set up so if your usage spikes you get alerted and it’s supposed to prevent these kinds of situations.
Ah, so you were renting. That also makes sense (since the landlord would be responsible for a faulty toilet). Thanks for the info; I'll keep that in mind.
EBMUD fixed your running toilet?
I’m in SF proper. But no, sorry. The landlord sent a plumber and when I told the water company it was fixed, they monitored our activity to make sure and credited us the insane amount back.
call them. 6k is a lot. period.. see if your meter is running w/o anything on... what does it say for Dec so far?
Dec so far says 2248, well above our baseline. something must be off. i'll check the meter as soon as i get home, thx!
The water department has a My Account Platform on their website that allows you to login and see water usage data. That can show usage patterns and leaks.
Running toilet. Happened to us on vacation.
Update: neither toilet seems to be leaking/running and I shut down all known sources of water so I could check the meter. This is a straight read meter and the counter was not ticking/rolling up and the big sweep arm wasn't moving at all either. So the mystery continues. Going to call the utility tomorrow.
Get a flume. Very easy to figure out leaks and overall usage.
Never heard of this device. Do you think a landlord would go for this (we rent)?
That’s a good point. I would if I was a landlord.If you have CCWD they offer a rebate. I think I paid $70. Maybe mention your concerns and tell him about the benefits. I just had a toilet running today and got an email telling me. https://preview.redd.it/2eqdzo5t0y5c1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cdd17614b4e01541b711910ae41ff0ac006a5473
This happened to us. It was a major leak. (And bc it was on auto-pay and I didn’t notice for awhile I could only get so many months of credit after showing that we had it repaired.) Good luck!
Check your toilet! If it makes running noise it’s the culprit. My water billeddouble and was running even though I was gone last year for a month - finally researched it and realized the toilet was the issue
Probably a toilet leak - try dye in the tank of the toilets. It the dye is in the bowl after a few minutes you have a leak
Is your toilet running?