Just went through this same scenario this week Some background, (btw we're in Austin) we have been on the levelized plan for w/ww and elc. for years and the $ are deducted by the CoA monthly. I confess, over the years have gotten lazy and don't regularly look at the usage part of the w/ww bill (we receive two separate bill for elec and w/ww). We live on one side of a duplex that we own; 2 elec meters and 1 shared water meter This past bill I looked at the $ and usage because we're getting close to the adjustment period when our montly will go up or down depending on the previous year's usage. I almost **** when I saw our bill would have been >$235 had we not been on levelized. Approx usage 30k w 30 ww (don't have bill in front of me). First thing I did was go out to the water meter. It's spinning at .4gpm (I timed sevrak times over a one hour period). I went to each of our outdoor spigots (I replaced them all last year); looked under sink/faucets (kitchen and bath, I also replaced all of the angle stops last year), clothes washers; refrigs, toilets (replaced angle stops last year). There were no visible or audible leaks. For good measure I replaced all of the tank flappers. The 0.4 gpm equates to about 18k gallons, which is the amount that is above our average non-summer monthly usage. I reviewed the past year of bills/usage to verify. After all of these activites, the f@#$ing water meter was still spinning. So, I called the plumbing company that I've used over the years when the problems for home/renatals go beyond my week-end warrior abilities. They tell me that I did verything that they would have done. So, at least I saved myself a $150 service call. They referred me to leak detection company. But, first I call the CoA to confirm my suspicions of responsibility. I'm The CoA owns/responsible for everything up to and including the water meter. The piping/fitting/valves from meter on up to the home are my responsibility (even though there is some piping in the CoA ROW, it doesn't matter). I get the referred leak detection company out our place, takes him about 2 hours of pressuring up piping on our renter's side and our side before he finds the leak. Turns out that about 10 feet onto our property, there's some type of a valve (check valve/anti-syphon) and splitter that is leaking. The valve cover (located under some lugustrums, sp?) shot up through loose soil and mulch. We've owned the placed for 11 years and I never knew that the valve/splitter was there. My plan is to dig it up this weekend and hopefully replace the parts. If I can't, then I'll call the plumbing company to come out next week.
UPDATE -- it's in the yard, it's in the yard, thank God almighty, it's in the yard! (with apologies to MLK). They put in a stop valve at the house, to see if the meter would still run, indicating a leak in the yard. It worked -- they found it. Very good news. The bad news -- it's right underneath our 50 year old oak (which ought to be VERY happy right now -- 30k gallons oughta do that). They are looking at the option of (a) repairing it where it is, or (b) just re-routing a new line around the tree. Either way, I'm sure it will be pricey, but it's a punch to the gut vs. a punch to the nuts had it been in the foundation, so I'm relatively pleased. I will see more detail and be able to evaluate it better when I get home.
For what it's worth, I had to replace a water line with one day's notice when the city threatened to fail our inspection for a big addition. (We needed more capacity.) Even paying the premium for same-day service, it was "only" $2,000 to dig the trench and install the new line. I realize $2,000 is a lot of money, but I think your worst nightmares were WAY worse than that. The joys of homeownership!
30k gallons of water will make a tree happy. Kind of like me and that much beer. Of course that would mean I would be dead.
About 6 months after we moved into our house we "found" a water leak in our front yard. Cost us about $1100 in '97 to replace (and cost us a cottonwood that they killed in the process). My advice, put in a new line AROUND the tree and take the day(s) off to watch them dig the trench to make sure that they don't uncaringly cut through a major root.
Let me second the opinion to re-route the water line around the tree...that option should save the tree and be a less costly project overall.
