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John97
Over The Hills And Far Away
Premium Member
join:2000-11-14
Spring Hill, FL

John97

Premium Member

How much water does your family use in a month?

My old house had a well, so I have no idea how much water we actually used. At my new house, according to my first water bill - if I am reading it right, we used 34,700 gallons of water. To me, this just seems insane.

But, using the Google tells me that maybe it's not that insane.

So, I figured a quick survey would give me some answers. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Jahntassa
What, I can have feathers
Premium Member
join:2006-04-14
Conway, SC

Jahntassa

Premium Member

7k per month in the summer with sprinklers. 1-2k at minimum for two people. No pool or anything to speak of.

jrs8084
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Statesville, NC

jrs8084 to John97

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to John97
35K gallons is atypical. 3K gallons would be closer to my norm.

ilikeme
Premium Member
join:2002-08-27
Stafford, TX

ilikeme to John97

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My 2 roommates and I use about 3-4k per month. We do not water the yard. I think my parents use about 5-7k in the summer when they run the sprinklers often.

Jack_in_VA
Premium Member
join:2007-11-26
North, VA

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The average family of four can use 400 gallons of water every day according to the EPA

That would work out to about 12,000 gallons per month.

R4M0N
Brazilian Soccer Ownz Joo
join:2000-10-04
Glen Allen, VA

R4M0N to John97

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Wow... High usage for my family (me, wife, 5 year-old, 4 month-old) is 7K gallons per month, low usage is 4.5K gallons...

5 yea-old only takes baths and wife loves long hot showers.

Your water usage should be in CCF (hundreds of cubic feet). 1 CCF = about 748 gallons.

John97
Over The Hills And Far Away
Premium Member
join:2000-11-14
Spring Hill, FL

John97

Premium Member

Thanks for the replies. This was my initial bill. Maybe they read the meter wrong when they started my service. I will have to keep an eye on the usage and see what we get.

dosdoxies
Premium Member
join:2004-12-15
Wallingford, PA

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Where I live they read the meter every 3 months. Is your bill for 1 month or more?

John97
Over The Hills And Far Away
Premium Member
join:2000-11-14
Spring Hill, FL

John97

Premium Member

said by dosdoxies:

Where I live they read the meter every 3 months. Is your bill for 1 month or more?

No, it's for one month and it's our first bill. They do bill monthly, I did confirm that when I set everything up after buying the house. But you are right, it was quarterly billing everyplace I lived prior to coming here.

Zorack
join:2001-12-14
Fayetteville, WV

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34k would put my ass in shock for a month,that would usually mean a serious water leakage to me....

dosdoxies
Premium Member
join:2004-12-15
Wallingford, PA

dosdoxies to John97

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I just looked at my bills. My highest this year was 30,000 for May, June and July. 2 people, 2 dogs, but the wife does water her gardens a lot in the summer. I agree, 34,700 is an awful lot for one month unless you're running a car wash on the side.
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4 to John97

Member

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Two adults, one child, 7200 gallons per month (235 gallons per day).

Bill Date    Usage          Read Type

12/17/2012 8000 Gallons Automatic Read
11/15/2012 7000 Gallons Automatic Read
10/16/2012 7000 Gallons Automatic Read
09/17/2012 6000 Gallons Automatic Read
08/17/2012 7000 Gallons Automatic Read
07/18/2012 7000 Gallons Automatic Read
06/18/2012 8000 Gallons Automatic Read
05/17/2012 8000 Gallons Automatic Read
04/16/2012 7000 Gallons Automatic Read
03/15/2012 8000 Gallons Automatic Read
02/14/2012 7000 Gallons Automatic Read
01/16/2012 6000 Gallons Automatic Read

nunya
LXI 483
MVM
join:2000-12-23
O Fallon, MO

nunya to John97

MVM

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Family of 4, I use about 4-5K / month. No outdoor watering.
fartness (banned)
Donald Trump 2016
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside

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Just got my bill the other day. I used 3000 gallons in 3 months. I am billed quarterly, so that means I use 1000 gallons a month. I take long showers too, but my bathroom is new, so I'm sure it has all the water saver features built in.

guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Palm Harbor, FL

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Check your irrigation timer, probably running daily and the most common reason for high water bills or a busted pipe in the irrigation. Leaking main copper from the meter to the home is another common occurrence in FL

GadgetsRme
RIP lilhurricane and CJ
Premium Member
join:2002-01-30
Canon City, CO

GadgetsRme

Premium Member

said by guppy_fish:

Check your irrigation timer, probably running daily and the most common reason for high water bills or a busted pipe in the irrigation. Leaking main copper from the meter to the home is another common occurrence in FL

If a leak in a pipe is the cause it is going to be hard to find unless it is indoors where damage is easily visible. A 1/16" hole over the period of month can lose 24333 gals. + or -. If it is deep in the ground it could take quite some time to locate. That is assuming a line pressure of 60 psi.
TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada
MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112

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3 of us in the house, about 2000 per month in the winter and the summer can be double that or more (depending on rainfall).

Low-flush toilets, quick showers with low GPM heads, and front-loading washing machine.

34,700 gallons seems insane. At the rates we pay, that would cost well over $1000!!!!!

John97
Over The Hills And Far Away
Premium Member
join:2000-11-14
Spring Hill, FL

John97

Premium Member

Thanks again for the replies.

The bill is only for around $85.

Irrigation system has been off. We've had enough rain. It's programmed to only run on Mondays. I checked that. We're on water restrictions, only allowed to do one-day watering. According to my address, that day is Monday. But, I have the switch in the OFF position so it won't run at all.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

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If you can lift cover over the water meter and observe the dial on the water meter you can perform the following tests yourself. If you have a problem observing the water meter dial ask for a usage audit. Call the water department.

Start here: »www.hernandocounty.us/utils/

If they do not serve your home they can tell you who does from your address.

I normally use around 20,000 each month which includes lawn irrigation. One month my bill showed a usage of 41,000 gallons so I called the city water department for a FREE usage audit. The procedure the water department technician used was simple. He turned off all water in the home and irrigation system then observed the meter dial. If the meter dial indicator continues moving then you have a leak somewhere.

Most homes have a valve to shut off all water flow to the irrigation system and a separate valve to shut off water flow to the home plumbing system. First turn off the valve to the irrigation system. I had a high water usage in my previous residence one month and it turned out to be a leaking solenoid valve in the irrigation system. If the meter continues to show flow after turning off the valve to the irrigation system the problem is a leak in the homes plumbing. If the dial stops moving after shutting off the valve to the homes plumbing while the valve is open to the irrigation system the problem is in the irrigation system. If the meter shows water flow after turning off both valves the leak is between the meter and the shut off valves. By the way many homes have a T fitting at the output of the water meter with one line going to the irrigation system manifold and the other line going to the home plumbing. That is to reduce pressure drop in the home when the irrigation system is running.

Whether or not a leak is found the next step is to turn on each irrigation zone one at a time using a watch with a second hand and observe the water meter dial to determine how many gallons of water each irrigation system zone consumes per minute. If one zone's usage is substantially higher than the others there probably is a break in an irrigation system line. I had a broken line. When I ran the zone where the break was for a short time and I observed higher usage than the other zones and discovered a puddle form where the break was located. You can multiply the number of gallons used per minute by the number of minutes each zone is set to run for, by the number of days the irrigation system runs each month, to calculate the number of gallons lawn irrigation consumes each month.

exocet_cm
Writing
Premium Member
join:2003-03-23
Brooklyn, NY

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I had a similar "issue" when I bought my house last year. Water service was never cut or transferred to the contractor's name who bought it and sat on it for a few years.

My first reading was the culmination of the previous 5 years. Our water dept is pretty slow (in thinking). They said I was on the hook for tens of thousands of gallons of water in the first 30 days I was in the house. A few calls to the supervisor's supervisor with repeated explanations cleared things up (and the previous owner/contractor was back billed).

Make sure you aren't leaking on the meter side of things. Here is New Orleans everything leaks. If you have a leak on your side of the meter you can run up a bill quick.

pitroad01
join:2006-07-10
Raleigh, NC

pitroad01 to Mr Matt

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to Mr Matt
Widowed male living alone. Increased usage due to grass watering during dry periods.

ke4pym
Premium Member
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC

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I use about 2800 gallons a month being single.

But I do have 2 aquariums I have to change out.

I too seem to take long showers. And my shower head is just a straight pipe into a sprinkler type head thingy. So, no low flow there.

I turned the house pressure down to compensate for that. Was at 80 psi, turned it down to 60. That knocked about $5 off my bill per month.

DKS
Damn Kidney Stones

join:2001-03-22
Owen Sound, ON

DKS to John97

to John97
said by John97:

The bill is only for around $85.

Lucky you. We are changed for water and a 125% surcharge for sewage. My water/sewage bill is around $1400/year. No lawn watering.

cowboyro
Premium Member
join:2000-10-11
CT

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2 adults, 1 infant - about 5000gal/mo for fall - spring.
Summer adds a bit with the pool and lawn.

tstolze
Premium Member
join:2003-08-08
O Fallon, MO

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Family of 4, without watering we average 2800 gallons/month.
ctggzg
Premium Member
join:2005-02-11
USA

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said by John97:

The bill is only for around $85.

We pay that much for 4,000 gallons. Anyway, 6,000 average here for two adults and two small kids, and we never water the yard or wash the cars.
ke4pym
Premium Member
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC

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said by DKS:

said by John97:

The bill is only for around $85.

Lucky you. We are changed for water and a 125% surcharge for sewage. My water/sewage bill is around $1400/year. No lawn watering.

This is familiar. My water bill, just for water is like, $4.25. But the whole bill is closer to $37 by the time sewer and storm water fees and daily availability fees and such are tacked on.

workablob
join:2004-06-09
Houston, TX

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About 6K per month. As high as 15K in the summer keeping the pool topped off.

Bill is usually under 30 bux a month.

Dave
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

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said by DKS:

We are changed for water and a 125% surcharge for sewage. My water/sewage bill is around $1400/year. No lawn watering.

$1,374.81 for calendar year 2012 here.

Boricua
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join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

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This is mine for the month of October. Me and two roommates, clothes washer, dishwasher and sprinklers on in the front twice on my designated water days (Tu, Thu, Sat).

EDIT: forgot to add a 50-gallon water heater.