my water bill is $200 this month!!

[loveabargin]

My water bill is 2x higher than it has ever been! It says Sewer charge is $105 of the $200 bill...what the heck?? The HIGHEST our bill has been in the 5 years we've lived here is around $95 total. Do you think this could be a mistake? My kids left the waterhose on in the back the other day for about half the day (I didn't know it) and my hubby left the sprinkler on in the front yard overnight...but that's water usage isn't it? Not sewer right? I'm very confused, I can't call them until Monday as we got the bill yesterday afternoon late.

 

[ducklite]

I'd make sure none of your toilets are leaking. Put some food color in the tank and see if it's in the bowl an hour later. You might need to replace the seals under the toilets--not that difficult if you're at all handy.

Anne

 

[Sethsmom]

I am not sure, but I think sewer fees are based on your water usage. I don't think they can actually keep up with just the sewer. You may want to look at some of your old bills to see if you can figure out if the sewer is a percentage of the water.

If it stays high, you may want to see if you have a leak or something.

I know in the Bham area due to the drought, they are charging surcharges for overusing water.

Does the water company have a website you can check? I know I hate it when I get something in the mail and have to wait 2 days to get an answer.

 

[nordkin]

If your water company is like ours, it doesn't matter where you use the water, you pay the sewer fee. Leaving water running overnight and half a day can add up to a lot of gallons of water.

 

[jaycns]

You pay sewage fees on all water used. It is impossible for the utility to know where you used the water. Some water doesn't go back down the drain. But you are charged on the basis that it did. Think about it this way, you flush stuff that doesn't come out of the tap too

Sorry about such a high bill. Those are NEVER a happy surprise. I would check for leaks and make sure they read my meter right. If both of those checked out I would be having a long talk with my dh and kids about leaving water running for hours and just how much it really does cost.

 

[kors]

Wow...that is crazy! I hope you find out the source. That is one of the few reasons why I am happy that we are on well and septic! Hmm..never thought those words would come out of my mouth!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Once you have checked for leaks (and fixed any) and discussed useage with your family, call the water company.

Several years ago, in Virginia, I had a leak in a basement toilet and we did not find out about it until the water bill came. When it was fixed the water company gave a "one time" adjustment so we only had to pay an amount about equal to our normal use. We were told they will do a similar adjustment no more than once every five years.

And the sewage use is always based on water consumption, they don't meter what goes out, only what comes into your house.

 

[jennifer293]

Water costs that much where you live??? Mine is $22.00 a month and I thought that was high. My parents bill runs about $13.00 a month.

 

[veraletta]

I had a leak that only went a few hours as a pipe had broken in the ground, it took a long time for the water company to find my house and my water bill was over $300.
leaving a water hose on can really add up.
My reg. water bill is about $65 a month.
Sorry about your bill but you could call the water company, and see what they have to say.

 

[Muushka]

We had the same problem and it was a burst water main.

My suggestion is to make sure everything that runs water is off. Go out to your water meter and look at it. Ours was spinning because of the water main leak. If yes, call the water company. It may be on their side (if yes, you would be lucky) and it may be on your side (we were not lucky).

Also, our leak would have been covered under the PPB pipe lawsuit had we found it quicker. So don't delay and if it is PPB, they may have to fix it for you (or pay the bill after you have it fixed).

 

[DawnMarie]

I'd make sure none of your toilets are leaking. Put some food color in the tank and see if it's in the bowl an hour later. You might need to replace the seals under the toilets--not that difficult if you're at all handy.

Anne

We had leaky toilets short while ago. It ran our bill up to $150 - $190 per month. My MIL kept saying fix the leaky toliets they cost alot money. Low and behold once DH fixed them (3) our bill went down to $50. Definitely an inexpensive fix that saves a bundle.

 

[torinsmom]

Sometimes a toilet can leak where the food coloring trick does not work. It didn't for me. What I did was to make sure no water was running in the house and checked the meter. It was running, so I turned both toilets off at the floor valve. Then I went and the meter was not running. I knew it was one toilet, so then I turned them on one at a time to see which one it was. Once I knew, I replaced the flapper, which is really inexpensive and easy to replace. The meter stopped running then, so I was done.

The way to figure out if a leak is inside the house or out is to turn the main water valve off(mine is under the house) If the meter is still running, it is between the house and the meter or between the meter and the road. Usually if it is between the house and the meter, the ground will be soggy there.

Talk to the water company. Mine will adjust once every 6 months if you bring in a receipt for fixing a problem such as a leak on your end. They won't adjust for someone leaving the water running.

Marsha

 

[a1tinkfans]

I just paid $31.00 for 4 months, but alas,
NO SEWER. Though I wish we had it!

ASK WHY SO HIGH FOR SURE!!

 

[Christy93]

The same thing happened to us, our water bill is usually $80 and last month it was $203.

We turned all the water in the house off and checked to see if the meter was still running, it wasn't so we knew it was leak in the house. We fixed the toilets and I hope our next bill is much, much lower.

 

[tinan]

If your bill is like ours your sewage is usually a % of water usage. They figure if you use the water, you will have to dispose of it sometime. I think ours is 100%. I used to hate this when we would fill the swimming pool. Years ago, our water company would give you a break if you told them you were filling your pool, but no more. Our water bill has been running about $50/month. Ours used to consistently be $40/month.

The kids and dh leaving the hose on definitely had an impact, but not sure about that high. As others have said check for leaks.

 

[izzyBandlivismom]

OUr bill is ALWAYS between $160 - $200 a month. Our sewer change is 3 times the amount of our water bill. Talk about out of control. We moved from somewhere that our 3 mont bill was about &60 so it was a BIG shock when we got that bill. Unfortunatly, have a family of 4 with small children, we do a lot of laundry and run the dishwasher every day.

I hope your problem is easy to fix!!

 

[gilby]

We had a high water bill in April it was 93.00, I was shocked. But we are very careful on running water. I fill my water glass in the morning and don't dump it out until I have brushed my teeth, take my meds, don't run the water while I brush my teeth. Shorten our showers. We also have our water softner charge twice a week instead of every other day, not sure how much that helps, but saves us salt and electricity. We lowered it by 20.00, I was excited.
Good luck

 

[Frye7127]

When we moved here eight years ago, our water/sewage was $35/month. It has consistently gone up and when we got our bill last month it was $95. They raised our bill 40% for new construction they are doing. You have to have water and we are paying for them to lay new pipes! It stinks!

 

[Epscot]

I moved into a brand new house 3 months ago that has an irrigation system. We are in the middle of the worst drought in over 100 years and I have to try to keep my sod alive. Fortunately, we are not on water restrictions yet.

The sewer tax is about 1.4X the water usage, and you are taxed if sewer is available on your street whether you are connected to it or not (I am). I've recently increased my watering schedule from 2 days to 3 days per week because the grass started turning brown. The increase has just maintained the current level of brown. If I wanted to green it up, I would have to go to 4 or 5 days per week. My bill last month was $130. My neighbor and I both just had a second water meter installed and then had the landscaper re-plumb our irrigation systems into it last week. The second meter is connected ahead of the main meter, and no sewer tax is added to the water that flows through it. We each also had him add a new outdoor water faucet off the irrigation line for washing cars and spot watering. Now, only the water that goes down the drain will be charged the sewer tax.

The second meter cost $325 and the landscaper charged $125 for the plumbing work. Hopefully, within a year I'll be saving money.

 

[loveabargin]

Okay, I spoke to the water people today and they said we used 25k gallons last month vs 6k that we normally use!!! I couldn't believe it! We are getting a plumber over here tomorrow to check for leaks (which is what the lady...as well as most of you...suggested). If we have to fix a leak, we are to save our receipt from the plumber, bring it to them and they will adjust our bill to the normal amount (I guess an average). Gosh, you should have seen the bill...it shows a year's worth of months on a graph at the top of the bill...it shot WAY up for last month...I knew it looked over double...but it was over TRIPLE the usual amount.

THanks friends for all your suggestions!