can a family of 4 use 34k gallons

Joined
Dec 18, 2012
Messages
1,327
Location
Washington for now
of water over a 2 month period with no leak? i have a rental that according to the water bill they used 34k gallons of water over a 2 month period. 2 months because it a bi monthly bill. they are a family of 4 . the water itself was not too expensive, but the sewer was murder. basically $1 of water equals $2 of sewer.

i compared this to my own families use and we use 1/3 of what they used in the same time period. i check their meter over a few hours when they were not home and the meter did not move an inch. So no leak it seems

i am trying to figure out how a family can use this much water . i asked them and they said they do a lot of laundry. uhh ok.

how much water do you use?
 
Back when my two daughters were teenagers and lived at home, the four of us used approximately 200 gallons a day per the water softener. That would give about 12,000 gallons in two months.
 
Family of four here. My average household water usage each month is 6 units (600 cu. ft.), which is 4,488 gallons.

I'll say that's 9,000 gallons every two months.
 
I work for a water company. An average usage here is about 4500 gallons per month. Looks like yours is about 4x average.

If they know you are footing the bill, there isn't any incentive for them to conserve.
 
Its just me and my wife but at the most we use about 13000 gallons a month. This is mainly during the very hot months when the lawn sprinklers are in service. Wife does two loads of wash every day, along with dishwasher, showers, and just daily indoor use. I can see 34K over two months for a family of four. I know you said its a rental, but don't they pay their own water bill. All rentals around where I live, the tenants pay their own utilities and are responsible for the lawn work.
 
About 140 gallons per person per day. On the design side, 100 gallons per day per person is on the high end.

Is there lawn watering or a pool involved? Both can consume tremendous amounts of water.

After that, look for leaks somewhere... our water meter is smart enough to tell us we have a leak...
 
oh yeah they pay for it themselves . it why i kinda don't care but am only curious if its possible to use this much.
 
Family of 5 here, our bi-monthly bill for the most recent period was 40 cubic meters, which is 10,556 US gallons. So yeah, I'd say they are pretty high.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JC1
On the water softener forums they use an average of 60 to 80 gallons per day per person for calculations. 70 x 4 x 60 = 17,000 gallons. 34K is a lot, unless they are watering gardens and lawns.
 
Originally Posted by MNgopher
About 140 gallons per person per day. On the design side, 100 gallons per day per person is on the high end.

Is there lawn watering or a pool involved? Both can consume tremendous amounts of water.

After that, look for leaks somewhere... our water meter is smart enough to tell us we have a leak...


we are in the the PNW. so nature does most of the lawn watering. no pool
 
Looked up a water bill when I was single and lived alone eons ago.
Was billed every 3 months for water and sewage.

8 CCF/5984 gallons in 3 months.

Had a Maytag non HE top loader. Had a dishwasher but usually hand washed my dishes. I like to take baths, not showers.
 
Same thing happened to me this time last year...got a call from the water company, your home is using 3 times the usual amount, you may a leak.

It is my rental property. Called. Asked if they were filling a blowup pool or something. Nope. Any leaks? Nope. Went over to the house, the toilet had been running for three months. Three months! Did they ever think to stop it? Took me ten minutes to fix it. Water bill was $400 for the quarter.

So don't be surprised if it's a running toilet. I've talked to other landlords and they too have dealt with this. People too lazy and uninterested to even notice or care if a toilet keeps running and running.

If it's not that, keep in mind it's summer...if they have kids they might be running sprinklers for "summer fun". Hours upon hours of the day. Whole neighborhood hanging out in the backyard.
 
Last edited:
My buddy started a leak detection business in Denver...the tools, tricks and technology is fascinating. He's going like crazy, it really seems to be an underserved market.

I just spoke w him this morning and he says the EPA estimates for water lost due to leaks is staggering...up to 60%

Point being, if you feel any moral obligation to follow up (and I'm not saying you should or shouldn't), a call to a reputable leak detection firm might be reasonable
 
  • Like
Reactions: JC1
I suspect an occasionally sticking toilet. I see it quite often. When you checked the toilet was probably ok that day.
 
Originally Posted by D60
My buddy started a leak detection business in Denver...the tools, tricks and technology is fascinating. He's going like crazy, it really seems to be an underserved market.

I just spoke w him this morning and he says the EPA estimates for water lost due to leaks is staggering...up to 60%

Point being, if you feel any moral obligation to follow up (and I'm not saying you should or shouldn't), a call to a reputable leak detection firm might be reasonable


my mom had a leak in her supply line a couple of years back. she only noticed it when the water bill show her use at 18k gallons. when i looked at her meter to check it out , it was spinning like crazy. their meter on the day i check was not even moving. the water itself was about $250, but the sewer was $500 .

i checked the toilets etc while i was there to fix something and they were ok. now that i have mentioned the water use to them , i am curious if they will conserve and it goes down on the next bill.
 
I average between 7-10 units a month with 3 of us, two of which stay home most of the day given the current climate. The last 3 months were right at 7 units, or about 5k gallons. 17k gallons a month seems awfully high...
 
Back
Top