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Author:
sum (FL)
My friend lives in a multiple family building with four apartment units. The four unit condo pool their monthly maintenance to pay for water, sewer, insurance, lawn care etc...
He said on average their water bill is $200 a month, collectively. However one unit is in foreclosure and vacant, so their bill should go down. Instead in the past few months it has gone up to $300 a month.
He thinks there is a water leak somewhere. They talked amongst themselves and there is no unusual usages in any of their units that could otherwise account for the increase.
I was wondering, is this enough of a reason to look for leaks?
If so, is it a leak detection or a plumber that should be contacted? What would they do? The house is concrete slab foundation, built in 1961 so there are a bunch of pipes under the slab.
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Author:
bernabeu (SC)
imo: check the unit for a running toilet
- - - - - - -
Measure twice, cut once.
Retired Plumbers Local Union #1
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Author:
sum (FL)
I already gave them a checklist.
Running toilets.
Look at all the valves under sinks, washing machines, look for drips (although a drip I don't think can increase usage 30%)
Hosebibs & connected garden hoses.
Access the vacant unit to check same.
Turn on all faucets and showers and hosebibs, see if any squirt air or dirt...
They said they checked all that, although each unit did their own check and probably not systematically.
I remember when I had a pool leak, I hired this "'LEAK KING", he drilled a hole every 12" in my pool deck through the pavers and concrete down in to the dirt along the filter line, and checked for a wet drill bit, that's his method of leak detection.
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Author:
jimmy-o (CA)
The HOA should be able to demand access on an emergency basis. Start with a plumber inspecting all fixtures including appliances and WH
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Author:
hj
A plumber would determine IF there could be a leak, and the leak detector would find WHERE it is.
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Author:
hj
The leak detector I use, would have injected Helium into the system, then used a "light gas detector" to find where it was coming out of the ground, THEN, if necessary, drill holes to zero in on it. OR he would have injected CO2 and listened for the bubbles. OR,.... use some other method, whichever is best for the situation, sometimes a mix of methods to pinpoint the problem. A good company has several ways to locate leaks, and the equipment is expensive, which is why I call them rather than do it myself.
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Author:
NICK (CA)
First thing you should do is make sure all obvious water sources are off. Go look at the meter and hopefully you have a little flow wheel, it can look like a cross or a wagon wheel. This will show very small amounts of water leaking. See if and how this moves. I had the same issue on a 6 unit apt complex where the landlord said the bill went up a lot. I asked tenants if anything was leaking and they all said no. I found the problem from a fluke. One of the tenants who said everything was fine had a major leak at the tub fixture, and the only reason I found it was because when I was in the crawlspace i noticed water leaking from a rotted out trap. It had been leaking awhile because of the pit created in the valve seat. You need to check the obvious first and then start doing more extensive investigation if you dont see anything obvious. Also be sure the rates didn't change from the water co.
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