I recently installed a new water heater in my condo because it I had a 15 year old one. Recently I have been noticing that when I hear my upstairs neighbor showering or doing laundry my water heater starts running 5-10 min after there done using the hot water. Also I have noticed that my energy bill has gone up. The condo all shares water from a well near by. Is there any type of valve or anything I can do so that my neighbors aren;t constantly using my hot water.

are you sure they're using your water? when you hear the shower running, make sure all your fixtures are off and go look at your meter to make sure this isn't a weird coincidence...

If you think the neighbors are using your hot water while showering, try shutting off your hot water at a point where you think they are lathering up. The result should tell you if your condo is piped correctly.

the screams will tell

Do a trial test for the next couple days by shutting the cold water valve off on your water heater except for when you are using hot water. There will be a knock on your door if you are supplying anyone else with hot water.

Does your condo have a condo association?

Who is paying the water bill and the electric bills?

Most condos down here, each unit has their own water and electric meter and own hot water heater. If it was not a condo but gone through a condo conversion from a previous hotel or apartment complex, then the water may not be isolated by individual units. In that case HOA would pay the water bill for the entire building. Never heard of hot water crossing one unit to the other though.

I would definitely have it checked out.

Was your building built as a condo or is it an apartment conversion ? The easiest test is turning off the water from your heater. You will know within seconds. Do you have a shared water meter or do you have individual meters for each condo member.
Best Wishes

Or even more interesting, would be if they knock on your door, but YOU still have hot water at your faucet. I have seen heaters in building with multiple units get "cross piped".

Im pretty sure they are a water heater shouldn't be going off 5-6 times a day and especially right after i hear them using the shower or laundry. Is there a valve i can get installed so that hot water can just stay in my unit. Thanks for your response



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If they are using hot water from your WH yes theoretically you can shut them off by installing a valve or terminate their branch.

However, to do that you need to find where they teed off from your line and that is not going to be easy to isolate without an experienced plumber looking at your side AND their side and perhaps opening walls.

Furthermore, it may not be "legal" for you to do this because many condo associations consider plumbing, electrical or anything in common walls between units HOA properties and forbid an owner from working on them without going through them. Your neighbor might have opened a wall, saw a hot water line and thought its theirs and teed off it not knowing, although its not likely because your line would stay pressurized even after shutting off their WH valve or even the entire unit.

Sum, it's possible the entire building water was shut off when the mistaken 'T' was installed.

It sounds like common water supply with individual hot water heaters.

Where I live, we have common water and common h/w in basement. Yes, it was an apartment conversion. 110 year old vintage 6 flat Chicago .

My buddy has common water and separate h/w heater. 110 year old apartment conversion.

In both cases, we have to shut down the entire building to do work. I've done a lot of work on mine and always try to isolate by adding ball valves where feasible.

Builders that cheaped out and installed zero shut offs in the units. Amazing.

Our building's shut off is in the first floor neighbor's master closet. I had to be the bearer of bad new to the people who just bought the $550k unit. "Oh by the way, don't change your locks and we all have keys in case of emergency" lol

My buddy told me he had a plumber over to do some work. Whatever he did, within the first two minutes of starting work, he had a gusher.

Plumber: "where is your water shutoff?!?!?!!!!"

My buddy the attorney: "what's a water shutoff?"

Turns out it is in the front sidewalk.

Which reminds me, I need to ask my friend I'm helping with that toilet flange where the shutoff is located. It's a rule I have. Not planning on it but just my luck I'll drop a tool on the toilet supply stop.

anything is possible.

down here in south Florida most condos have own shutoffs even if HOA pays the water bills, or each owner pays own water, electric etc...and the HOA pays "common use" water which is irrigation, hose bibs for car washes, laundry rooms etc...

Most of the condo associations especially if there are many units would not allow main shutoff without prior schedule and approvals. If you want to turn the main water supply off it involves notifying the HOA, who then sends emails or paper flyers around to warn other owners what day and time water will be turned off etc...and they will need to know why and unless you are replacing your own shutoff valve or change out a toilet or install a faucet they are not going to allow opening of common walls without their HOA contracted plumber to come and do a "discovery". So in our area a condo owner shutting off a main water supply to an entire building to tee off a neighbor's line would be a real hush hush black operation requiring free donuts and coffee to the right people.

Not sure how old this post is, but I have the same issue. I live in a townhouse which is located over a flat. An investor bought it and is now renting it out. He's only had 2 tenants so far. The previous owner installed an on-demand water heater a few years ago. The last tenant was running the washer 24/, literally. I am guessing the in-demand uit was not meeting his usage demands so he would flip=flop between his unit and y hot water heater. I realized this after a couple months of coming home to VERY HOT hot water pipes and a HW heater pumping & hissing off the hook. I also discovered he was tapping into the pipes. I could hear him down there daily pounding on the plumbing. I could feel him manipulating my hot water pipe coming out of my heater.

I contacted the assoc & his landlord to no avail. They find it completely insane. In the meantime, I have to shut down my NEW heater to have hot water for myself. My AC & heat is also operated by water so I have to go without.

He is also running the washer 24/7. I have heavy smoke & fumes coming out of the outside vent. I also smell heavy fumes & odors in my unit, sometimes suffocating. I get zero help with this. I have spoken to them directly, yell at them to get off the plumbing. Its crazy. I have contacted everyone- police, zoning, fire chief has been there Nothing. In my case, I suspected a meth lab. They swapped out a heavily stained toilet with orange sludge in it. Its whats going through the pipes that worries me. They have since moved out & a new tenant in who is doing the SAME thing !!!

I will be nipping this one in the bud, but in the meantime HOW or WHAT do I need to do to get this plumbing corrected? The pipes involved are owned by the association as they run below the unit. I am not able to access these pipes.

I have am association who cannot fathom that the pipes have been tampered with, I do not want to pay for this and don't want my 5 yr old unit damaged. (5K to replace). I also don't want other peoples crap running through my pipes. I would also like to have heat & AC and shower & do my own laundry when Id like, not when my unit isn't already in use by the neighbors. I have to wait until there is a break in activity to take a shower. Its completely insane! Yeah, I can get a lawyer, but I need someone to check those pipes owned by the association. I need to be able to prove this. Any advice would be helpful .



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