Four months ago I moved into a house built about 10-11 years ago. With our first water bill, billed semi-monthly, we were billed a usage of 3750 gallons. Our next bill showed a usage of 9100 gallons. I raised the flag to the utility and they sent a tech. No one was home and the tech said there was no leak indicated at the meter.
It is just my wife and I. We've evaluated the "usual suspects." We haven't had overnight guests. We don't water the lawn. And we don't wash our cars at the house. I then thought I should turn off the supply to the only external bib, just in case I had been the victim of theft.
A few days later I realized I didn't release the trapped water. I went out back, turned on the water and: Nothing. No trapped water, bone dry. Now, I live in the Mid-Atlantic and it hasn't been unseasonably hot but it hasn't been particularly cold either. So I wonder if the water had dripped out/evaporated OR someone had attempted to turn on the water with the source turned off.
My question, then is two-fold:
1) What other reasons could be causing that increase in water usage?
2) Could the trapped water have escaped without turning it on?
Thanks in advance.
Best Answer
Make sure all the bills you look at are based on actual meter reads. Some utilities will estimate some of the bills (say, every other bill) based on historical data to avoid having to come check the meter as often. Since you haven't been in the house very long it's possible they're using historical data from last year (maybe the previous residents filled up a pool in the summer, or watered the lawn?).
If that's not the issue, see if you have access to the water meter. If so, write down the reading before you leave the house for the day and then again when you come home.
Also note that a "typical" (whatever that means) person uses about 50 gallons/day, which for you should work out to about 6000 gallons per billing cycle. So these numbers don't seem way out of line.
EDIT: reading over these numbers now I can't help but notice that over your two billing cycles you are averaging 50 gallons/person/day, which is exactly the EPA's "typical" number. I wonder if your first bill was estimated and the second one was high to make up for it.
Also, I think the faucet thing is a red herring. If the faucet was leaking thousands of gallons you would notice it. And there's no way for someone to steal a meaningful amount of water from an outdoor spigot.