Check usage of the toilet by filling it with bucket which holds a known number of gallons (or has measurements scrawled in it) or use a bottle of something that is clearly marked (2L pop bottle, 1 gallon juice jugs etc.) to get gallons per flush.
Test all showers, taps hoses and anything that spouts water by timing how long it takes to fill a bucket that holds a known number of gallons
Showers, kitchen taps, washroom taps that put out more then 2…5gallons/minute should have the aerator replaced.
Don’t use anything for a day and see if the meter moves (yes i know the annoyance factor, stock up beforehand)
Then check the meter, let 100 gallons run and check the meter again to see if it agrees
I use about 1250 gallons a month, why not call the local plumbers and request that they send you a man suited to investigate your water usage? Insist that you only want a plumber suited for the task, and that it be covered in a single service call.
Talk to the chosen serviceman over the phone to make sure that he sounds like a bright guy, who knows how to quickly evaluate such a thing, you want a guy who is interested in such calls.
I live in the mountains above Death Valley for much of the year. I won’t go into details, but I can relate to your water problems. The whole town runs out of water several times a summer for DAYS at a time because of leaks and unexplained water flow variances. So I know about the value of water, believe me. The amount of water coming into town is only about 10gpm at top flow. Many times in the summer, it’s a third of that.
As we say: “Whiskey’s for drinkin’ and water’s for fightin’ over.”
Anyway, the first question I would ask is: Just how are they arriving at your water usage? It seems that you are perplexed that you are using so much and seem to be really trying to conserve. Perhaps you are right, and they are wrong.
Water meters are known to be HUGELY inaccurate, at least the ones we use are, which are pretty standard gold old water meters. The only way to tell how accurate they are is to get out there with a five-gallon bucket and start measuring for yourself and compare it against your meter. Just like Bort says. Even then there could ge HUGE flow variances depending on the rate of flow. Some meters are more accurate the faster the flow; some are more accurate when the flow is slower.
But the bucket tests could give you some degree of accuracy. You might be pleasantly surprised and the whole brouhaha could end there. Your meter could be WAY off. In fact, if they are considering shutting you off, I suggest that you ask for an ACCURATE water survey with a meter calibrated by your state dept of weights and measures. Have you ever seen how a house meter works? It’s a little mickey mouse propeller turned by water flow.
As for how much water is being used in a shower or toilet flush? Count the number of flushes and lengths of showers and compare them to the start and end measurements on your meter (again as Bort suggests). Flushes may be somewhat difficult to measure with a normal meter, but you should be able to get an EXACT reading on a shower. That will tell the tale. Then adjust it with what you found out measuring with buckets and comparing it to your meter.
By finding out how accurate the measurements are: You could lose big time, but you could also win big time.
I bought mine locally (in New Jersey) in 2007 and I think it cost $200 including the ’soft close’ seat for$20. Toto models were relatively hard to find back then but now you can just buy them online with free shipping for about the same cost and Lowes carries spare parts (not that you’d need them).
3.5 gallons per hour, we were told there is plenty of water running in the fissures in the ground it just that the pump cannot refill the single 3, 000gallon tank adequately enough for 14 housse houlds and I have the biggest house hold size but thank you all you guys have provided super great places to use for accurate measurements (which I am doing today before meeting)ww couldn’t evenly attend church services today as we were told no one in house was allowed to bathe we would get a phone call when we would be allowed to.
Just a little basic math here - family of six, 12,000 gallons / mo. = 66.6 U.S. gallons/per capita/day.
According to our water bill, we use an average of 57 U.S. gal/per capita/day and we use it very liberally on lawns, gardens, etc, as we have an abundance of it.
The town that I live in processes the equivalent of 143 U.S. gal/per capita/per day, which includes everything - car washes, swimming pools, and commercial uses of all sorts. Some is even trucked away as ‘potable water’ to oilfield camps etc., so it would be hard to arrive at an average per capita consumption rate in households.
I believe all of the preceding comments have merit. You might have meter errors, leaks, or other sources of use that you’re not aware of. Either that, or you might have to teach everyone to shower a bit faster!
Here we pay for the water and for the waste water together it’s about 5€ per cubic meter(depends on the state) water plus some monthly costs for the counter…. That would be about 0.24$ per gallon.
One problem which some guys had here was that they had a to big counter which was made for higher flush per day, so the little counters wheel was to massive: every time they let just a bit of water flow, the wheel runs longer than the water flowed because of the mass inertia.
Sorry. I can’t help you with water usage per month but I think the more important information lies in how the water is used… A shower does NOT need to be on full blast when you’re soaping or scrubbing your skin or shampooing your hair. Just a trickle is enough to keep the soap sudsy… (I can bathe PROPERLY in less than 4 mins with the shower being on full for less than 1.) When brushing your teeth, the same rule applies. Washing clothes uses a lot of water too. There are a lot of little details that add up in the big picture… Read up on water conservation techniques and determine if your family’s deviation from those recommendations are insane or acceptable even with the disabilities.
Don’t know my information, but I don’t think it would be relative to you, being that I live right next to Lake Michigan. I usually take between 10-15 minute shower 5 days a week, with maybe a 20-30 minute shower once or twice a week(Though it works out to a shower every day, sometimes one in the evening after I worked and got all dusty). Run the dishwasher every other day usually. For clothes, I don’t know how many loads b/c my mom does it. But usually 5-10 tshirts, 1-2 pants or shorts, and undergarments of course. Don’t wash cars at my place, don’t water grass, some plants though.
Water Cost in my area: 5 gallon for $0.01
IIRC, my water (no waste included) rate is $1.50 per cubic meter. It doubled from about $0.80 a few years back when they expanded the system in my town. Supposedly a temporary measure… Riiight.
Maybe a little ‘diplomacy’ would work better than shutting off the water.
Suggest help wtih a ‘12 step’ community program on how to reduce water consumption. Then check back in a couple months with more persuasive threats if there is still an issue of the town running out of water.
I don’t know it sounds kind of heavy handed for a 14 year community member family of 6……
Wow after the meeting today’s I came back with shocking information, the person (s) that weremaking all the threats …WELLL . and I mean literally well the people a family of two well they were cconfronted by other newer members of a 14 home community and truth be told they just of 2of them used in excess if 17, 000 gallons and his brother in law had drained the well twice in the last two months filling the pool which he has a family of 4 uses 15, 578 gallons putting my family third in usage wow what a shock and they were the only members wanting to throw us off!? I canteen figure out why but when the other 11 home owners found out, well put it this way I 2 more weeks we will be voting in a new personn to run the well account! Thank you because I will still strive to reduce usage such as newer low flow shower heads and as soon a financialy possible low flow toilets and of course shorten the rest of families shower time. Again a sincere thank you now lets get to important business Budget lights and reviews! !!
We have plenty of water, today, but I think the honeymoon is over out West. To be a good steward of precious water resources, just be water conscious. Treat the water coming out of the faucet like its “liquid gold” going down the drain.
Learn to take Navy Showers, you can shower with about 5 gallons using that approach. If you have an old toilet, take an old plastic 1 gallon water bottle, fill it up with water and cap it, and put it in the tank. It cuts the usage by 30%/flush. And just flush on #2. Hand water your shrubs. At my old place the washer irrigated the fruit trees. That could easily be done with showers and laundry if planned for during remodeling.
Anyway, you need to educate the other family members and that can be tough with teens. On one occasion, I cut the water off for a week to get their attention. It did!
You should be able to cut your usage by 50% just by paying attention, if everyone is on board. I try to conserve on a daily basis and be an exemplary citizen. Actually… I’m really cheap or weird or both, but I try to keep myself amused!
There are those ‘rain drop’ type shower heads. I find them to give a very rewarding shower experience with relavitely low water consumption. Maybe they are an option? There are some affordable versions out there.
Top Cat’s idea with the water bottle is also great! (if the ‘flush force’ is still great enough. Some toilets just have bad geometry )
