Locating increased water usage

[Ronstar]

I wouldn't rule out a meter problem. Something like Samclem's first idea in post 2 makes sense to me.

 

[Katsmeow]

I wouldn't rule out a meter problem. Something like Samclem's first idea in post 2 makes sense to me.

We have made a record of what the meter is showing and will be checking for any large jumps. I agree that hasn't been ruled out yet.

 

[Katsmeow]

Wanted to update on this. We had the new toilets installed today (SO much nicer than the old ones). We bought:

Kohler Cimarron

The plumber said that toilets are usually the source of unexplained water usage. But, he also checked for any signs of leakage in the showers and the hot water heater and found nothing amiss. DH has been tracking our water usage and everything has been the low usage we have had in the past.

DH thinks the likely culprit for the water usage is the in ground sprinkler system. He turned off all water to the system and thinks it is telling that we haven't seen any great usage since he did that. It has been raining some here, but once it dries out he is going to turn the water back on to the sprinkler system and monitor and see if there is any increase in usage. If there is, he hopes he can walk around the sprinkler lines and find where there might be a leak.

If that doesn't turn up anything, then we will keep monitoring the water usage for the rest of the month to see if any large spikes occur.

 

[tmm99]

My toilet at one point had a slight problem with seals in the water tank and I could see that the water in the bowl was not quite still, which raised the water bill in a big way, so changing the toilet might have already solved your problem.

 

[H2ODude]

If you have a sprinkler system installed, it's best to have a main auto valve installed on the system that opens when water is called for. Otherwise every one of the zone valves has pressure on it continually until water is called for. That means any one of the zone valves can be leaking and causing a problem at all times. A good sprinkler installer will do it this way, just a thought.... Also, for those of us who have actual seasons, the system should be fully off at the main valve and drained if possible where freezing can be an issue.

 

[aja8888]

Wanted to update on this. We had the new toilets installed today (SO much nicer than the old ones). We bought:

Kohler Cimarron

.

We just replaced the original 1999 vintage toilets in our home with the same ones you just bought. They are great! (I never imagined I would be praising toilets...)