Waiting for plumber. Have a bad feeling.

[ronandannette]

Yes. It’s common here in Florida. The water corrodes the older pipes. Our house was built in 1981. They go through the attic and some walls to repipe the whole house. This should eliminate the pin hole leaks and now the bigger leaks that we have be been dealing with.

I’ve been in residential construction for 35 years, albeit in a VERY different climate with very different environmental considerations. I thought engineering homes to withstand -40C cold and 8’ of frost-heave was a pain ...

Sorry this has happened to you. I know very well how devastating a large financial curveball can be.

 

[John VN]

What a bummer, @floridafam. Sorry to hear that. Hope maybe insurance might cover all or some of it.

Was thinking the same, Insurance? Good luck, fingers crossed

OUR Insurance would have covered damage caused by leak BUT NOT the actual repair.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It really isn't very straightforward on the insurance part because everyone's homeowner's insurance policy may cover different things, the type of policy someone has and the insurance company as well as the state and any applicable insurance laws that may be in play.

What caused the leak is the most important question. Some policies could cover the plumbing but not any damage to the foundation or footing depending on what caused it. Wear and tear is almost universally not covered same as poor maintenance.

 

[tvguy]

That’s stinks. I had a $100+ water bill. It’s normally like $ 20. A call a plumber to fix the leak source. It was from the main line to shut off valve in garage. So had to spend $3500 to get the line replaced.

$20?! The minimum charge JUST for being connected to our publicly owned water district is $55 a month. Your water usage is on top of that.

 

[gmi3804]

$20?! The minimum charge JUST for being connected to our publicly owned water district is $55 a month. Your water usage is on top of that.

My bill, in an upper end suburb of Chicago, was $30/month.

 

[tvguy]

Yes. It’s common here in Florida. The water corrodes the older pipes. Our house was built in 1981. They go through the attic and some walls to repipe the whole house. This should eliminate the pin hole leaks and now the bigger leaks that we have be been dealing with.

That's a newer home to me. New enough that the water pipes should all be PVC and thus not ever corrode.

 

[tvguy]

My bill, in an upper end suburb of Chicago, was $30/month.

We bought our house in 1983 and back then water was $50 a year flat rate. Then the politicians got involved and started requiring water meters about 20 years ago.
My parents house is in an area with no water district, everyone has their own domestic well so the cost of water was buried in your electric bill to run the pump, and I think my mom spent $3,000 to replace the pump once in the 53 years she lived in the house. But no restrictions on how much water you could use, unless your well ran dry, which never happened since most wells were dug 70 feet below the water level.

 

[barkley]

But no restrictions on how much water you could use, unless your well ran dry

that's looking at changing in areas of california. some regions are in the process of developing plans to put meters on private wells and holding owners to the same restrictions neighboring water districts put on their customers with hefty fines for exceeding whatever arbitrary usage limits the municipality puts in place.

 

[tvguy]

that's looking at changing in areas of california. some regions are in the process of developing plans to put meters on private wells and holding owners to the same restrictions neighboring water districts put on their customers with hefty fines for exceeding whatever arbitrary usage limits the municipality puts in place.

Oh, change has been attempted for 40 years in my parent's old neighborhood. Water is political in California, and the maze of water laws and water rights so far have made it financial impossible to charge for water use if the customers aren't compensate for the thousands they have invested in their wells.
My parents house is outside the city limits, but in the city of Sacramento water meters were banned by the city charter dating back to the 1920's. The state legislature finally enacted legislation that invalidated that HOWEVER from a practical standpoint, the water delivery system physical structure is such, that it is difficult.......some would say impossible..... to install water meters in some neighborhoods. A former co-worker has a house where the installation of a water meter would require the removal of a heritage oak tree. State law requires a water meter, and another law bans removal of a heritage oak. Which state law wins?

 

[starry_solo]

OUR Insurance would have covered damage caused by leak BUT NOT the actual repair.

Isn't that what most insurance covers for homes?

 

[floridafam]

Thank you for all the replies. The plumber started the repipe this morning.

 

[Cadiewampus]

$20?! The minimum charge JUST for being connected to our publicly owned water district is $55 a month. Your water usage is on top of that.

Yep ours generally runs between $19 and $22 a month. Been in our house since 98 and we have only once had a water bill over $50 and that was when I had laid a bunch of sod. We are on septic so that does help.

 

[MillauFr]

Isn't that what most insurance covers for homes?

I believe the latter is considered maintenance. Insurance wont' cover that.

 

[fla4fun]

Yep ours generally runs between $19 and $22 a month. Been in our house since 98 and we have only once had a water bill over $50 and that was when I had laid a bunch of sod. We are on septic so that does help.

We are on septic too, and my water bill runs about $15 per month unless something is going on, like the annual pressure wash of the house. I haven’t seen one over $20 yet.

 

[kymom99]

My water bill is $150 for 3 months. It’s crazy.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Water bill just went from about $80 per month to about $105 per month. Includes sewer.

 

[kymom99]

Water bill just went from about $80 per month to about $105 per month. Includes sewer.

Our sewer is separate. Over $60 a month. So water plus sewer per month is about $110. However, our new house will have a septic tank. So no more sanitation bills.

 

[Moliphino]

That's a newer home to me. New enough that the water pipes should all be PVC and thus not ever corrode.

My parents' house was built in 1989 with copper pipes. They've had to replace a lot of it with PEX piping over the years.

 

[barkley]

Our sewer is separate. Over $60 a month. So water plus sewer per month is about $110. However, our new house will have a septic tank. So no more sanitation bills.

be kind to that system and tank-the cost of repairs can be gut wrenching (pumping isn't too outrageous it's just finding companies to do it these days-allot of the old timers called it quits during the pandemic).

 

[Cadiewampus]

We are on septic too, and my water bill runs about $15 per month unless something is going on, like the annual pressure wash of the house. I haven’t seen one over $20 yet.

Yep septic gets a bad rap in my opinion. If its done correctly and you maintain it every 4 or 5 years they well last forever and the lower water bills are a perk.