Water Company WSSC overcharged me RESOLVED!!!! (1 Viewer)

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

TL/DR -

-High water bills
-Water company checks my house for leaks, finds none.
-next day they call and say they found a underground leak (they didn’t)
-they tell me I need to hire a plumber to dig up my water main
-plumbers find no leak and my front yard is destroyed for nothing

My yard is destroyed, 6 days before Christmas I need to pay the plumber $6,500 for nothing.

Needless to say im outraged.


Longer version:

We’ve had high water bills for YEARS but always assumed it was my wife and daughters taking long showers and washing clothes 3 items at a time (exaggeration).

The past year it’s skyrocketed and our last quarterly bill was almost $800.

I checked for leaks, monitored the water meter and gave them hell until they agreed to come out and check…

My notes:

12/4/23 -
They check my whole house and confirm that I do not have any leaks.

12/5/23 -
The following morning they call and email me to inform me that "The Field Service representative explained he found an Underground Leak at your property today" (which contradicts what I was told by 3 different representatives the previous day.)

12/13/23 -
Today my (WSSC approved) plumbers discovered a leak at the new water meter you folks installed on 12/4/23. I called WSSC, they sent a crew out to look at the meter then left without talking to me. I don't know what they did or didn't do.

Per your instructions, my plumber excavate the front yard to expose the water service line but do not find a leak!!!!!

The send out a supervisor - he checks and does not find a leak and does not understand why this was done and that he was never informed and states that he is the person who approves this type of work but know nothing about it and is confused.

 

[ChiefD]

I would raise holy hell.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I’m filling out their claim form as I type this to try and recoup my money.

Seems this was all caused by a faulty water meter.

Best case is I get my $6500 back plus time missed from work. Yard is still a mess and we host Christmas Eve for ~50 people.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I would raise holy hell.

Oh I have but nobody cares and since this is a utility, it’s not like I can take my business elsewhere.

I’ve never sued anybody in my life but this might be it.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I have everything in writing from them so I should be covered but the stress it’s taken on my wife and myself has been immense.

I know somebody who works there and he told me off the record that they have a lot of employees, and some execs that “haven’t paid their water bill in years”

I haven't put that in writing - yet.

 

[New Binky the Doormat]

good luck man - unfortunately chances are more than pretty good you're not going win ...

but we're rooting for you man - total suckage here.

 

[General Malaise]

I’m filling out their claim form as I type this to try and recoup my money.

Seems this was all caused by a faulty water meter.

Best case is I get my $6500 back plus time missed from work. Yard is still a mess and we host Christmas Eve for ~50 people.

Jeez, sorry man. This stinks.

50 people????? Good God. Can I fax you some booze?

 

[Dr. Octopus]

The following morning they call and email me to inform me that "The Field Service representative explained he found an Underground Leak at your property today"

I’m not sure how he would find a leak without the excavation you subsequently had performed.

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance). We were going to have the yard excavated like you did - after the water company told us it wasn’t their lines, but luckily we discovered what caused the flooding before we did it.

 

[Osaurus]

I’m filling out their claim form as I type this to try and recoup my money.

Seems this was all caused by a faulty water meter.

Best case is I get my $6500 back plus time missed from work. Yard is still a mess and we host Christmas Eve for ~50 people.

At least you’ve gained some extra parking.

Hang in there. Hoping for an agreeable resolution.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

The following morning they call and email me to inform me that "The Field Service representative explained he found an Underground Leak at your property today"

I’m not sure how he would find a leak without the excavation you subsequently had performed.

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance). We were going to have the yard excavated like you did - after the water company told us it wasn’t their lines, but luckily we discovered what caused the flooding before we did it.

Exactly!

 

[Ron Swanson]

The following morning they call and email me to inform me that "The Field Service representative explained he found an Underground Leak at your property today"

I’m not sure how he would find a leak without the excavation you subsequently had performed.

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance). We were going to have the yard excavated like you did - after the water company told us it wasn’t their lines, but luckily we discovered what caused the flooding before we did it.

Exactly!

Pressurization and a hydrophone? I thought digging only occurred to repair a confirmed underground leak? Exploratory digging on that scale seems absurd. Why would a plumber even do it?

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

The following morning they call and email me to inform me that "The Field Service representative explained he found an Underground Leak at your property today"

I’m not sure how he would find a leak without the excavation you subsequently had performed.

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance). We were going to have the yard excavated like you did - after the water company told us it wasn’t their lines, but luckily we discovered what caused the flooding before we did it.

Exactly!

Pressurization and a hydrophone? I thought digging only occurred to repair a confirmed underground leak? Exploratory digging on that scale seems absurd. Why would a plumber even do it?

I protested but they insisted that I hire a WSSC approved plumber to excavate and find the alleged leak. (Everyone on-site agreed that the meter gauge wasn’t moving, there was no settlement/depression in the yard and no visual evidence such as water or a greener portion of grass.

I knew there was no leak but they forced me to. It’s crazy.

12/4/23 -
They (WSSC employees) check my whole house and confirm that I do not have any leaks.

12/5/23 -
The following morning they call and email me to inform me that "The Field Service representative explained he found an Underground Leak at your property today" (which contradicts what I was told by 3 different representatives the previous day.)

 

[fatness]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Probably won't help, but I'd think about calling one (or all) of the local news stations' consumer reporters.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Probably won't help, but I'd think about calling one (or all) of the local news stations' consumer reporters.

I going to respond today with a hyper detailed but polite email expressing all my concerns, with the caveat that if this is not corrected immediately, I will be forwarding all this information along to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection and the media outlets.

The problem is they are just so big and compartmentalized - they won’t care one bit.

At this point I just want normal water bills and my 7 grand back.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I’m filling out their claim form as I type this to try and recoup my money.

Seems this was all caused by a faulty water meter.

Best case is I get my $6500 back plus time missed from work. Yard is still a mess and we host Christmas Eve for ~50 people.

Jeez, sorry man. This stinks.

50 people????? Good God. Can I fax you some booze?

Booze and fellow Cowboys fans are always welcome!

 

[Cowboysfan8]

I’m filling out their claim form as I type this to try and recoup my money.

Seems this was all caused by a faulty water meter.

Best case is I get my $6500 back plus time missed from work. Yard is still a mess and we host Christmas Eve for ~50 people.

Jeez, sorry man. This stinks.

50 people????? Good God. Can I fax you some booze?

Booze and fellow Cowboys fans are always welcome!

What time ?

Good luck getting your $$ back gb

 

[Dr. Octopus]

but luckily we discovered what caused the flooding before we did it

In case anyone was curious, the reason our basement/crawl space was getting flooded was that someone broke into the abandoned house next door and stole all the copper piping without shutting off the waterflow. It was a relief for us but just another cautionary tale about buying property in depressed neighborhoods.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

but luckily we discovered what caused the flooding before we did it

In case anyone was curious, the reason our basement/crawl space was getting flooded was that someone broke into the abandoned house next door and stole all the copper piping without shutting off the waterflow. It was a relief for us but just another cautionary tale about buying property in depressed neighborhoods.

You would think they would have wanted to turn the water off and not get soaked but I guess if you’re stealing copper from houses you aren’t the brightest bunch.

That sucks man. That’s also A-LOT of water. Geez.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Update:

Spoke to my customer rep who’s separate from the water department and he let me know that the water dept is all convinced my plumbers made a repair - insinuating my plumbers have committed fraud.

This despite their own employees being on site and noting that no repairs were made.

They are also testing the old meter for shenanigans.

Ineptitude at every level, except for my customer rep guy who just rolls his eyes. Everybody’s pointing the finger and talking **** about each other in their own company.

At this point I’m just watching the

 

[fatness]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

 

[nirad3]

Probably won't help, but I'd think about calling one (or all) of the local news stations' consumer reporters.

I going to respond today with a hyper detailed but polite email expressing all my concerns, with the caveat that if this is not corrected immediately, I will be forwarding all this information along to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection and the media outlets.

The problem is they are just so big and compartmentalized - they won’t care one bit.

At this point I just want normal water bills and my 7 grand back.

I assume they have in-house legal counsel. Find out who that is and send directly to him/her. They will care.

 

[3C's]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

well we were talking above excavating each of our properties so it was clear where the leak was supposedly coming from in those instances but yes I wasn’t completely accurate in my wording.

 

[belljr]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

 

[3C's]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

 

[belljr]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

How do you read a water meter that's 4ft under ground?

Every meter here is just inside the basement/crawl space or if a slab wherever the main line enters. Back in the day before the new meters that have the outdoor reader attached, we had to go into houses to read them.

But I will agree shutoff is usually the delineation spot (which is at the curb )

I assume it's based on type of winters?

 

[GroveDiesel]

Maybe this was said and I missed it, it where is your meter? Is it before or after the area that they told you to dig up?

For my house, my meter is like belljr’s (which makes sense since I also live in NJ), it’s actually in my house in a closet under my steps to my 2nd floor. No basement or crawl space under my house. I own everything inside my house and from my house to the curb.

But I don’t understand why they would tell you that the problem was underground in the yard if they were also saying that the reason your water bill was high was because of a leak. Because unless your meter is before the underground line to the house, your meter wouldn’t be accounting for it because it would be measuring the water flow after the leak. The only reason to think there would be an underground leak before the meter would be if there was flooding in the yard, drop of water pressure, etc. unless the meter was at the street and the underground lines going to the house are after the meter.

Or am I missing something?

 

[DA RAIDERS]

Probably won't help, but I'd think about calling one (or all) of the local news stations' consumer reporters.

I going to respond today with a hyper detailed but polite email expressing all my concerns, with the caveat that if this is not corrected immediately, I will be forwarding all this information along to the Maryland Public Service Commission, Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection and the media outlets.

The problem is they are just so big and compartmentalized - they won’t care one bit.

At this point I just want normal water bills and my 7 grand back.

Lawyer up

 

[3C's]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

How do you read a water meter that's 4ft under ground?

Every meter here is just inside the basement/crawl space or if a slab wherever the main line enters. Back in the day before the new meters that have the outdoor reader attached, we had to go into houses to read them.

But I will agree shutoff is usually the delineation spot (which is at the curb )

I assume it's based on type of winters?

The meter/waterline only has to be 18" underground IIRC, and it has a cover that is removed to read it. Of course now they have smart meters and no one has to read it.

And yeah I think it has to do with weather/frost line. Usually mild winters here.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

How do you read a water meter that's 4ft under ground?

Every meter here is just inside the basement/crawl space or if a slab wherever the main line enters. Back in the day before the new meters that have the outdoor reader attached, we had to go into houses to read them.

But I will agree shutoff is usually the delineation spot (which is at the curb )

I assume it's based on type of winters?

The meter/waterline only has to be 18" underground IIRC, and it has a cover that is removed to read it. Of course now they have smart meters and no one has to read it.

And yeah I think it has to do with weather/frost line. Usually mild winters here.

Mine is 6’ underground

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Water /WSSC———meter————my house

Meter is out at the street shutoff… how it works here is everything before and at the meter is them, after the meter is my responsibility.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Maybe this was said and I missed it, it where is your meter? Is it before or after the area that they told you to dig up?

For my house, my meter is like belljr’s (which makes sense since I also live in NJ), it’s actually in my house in a closet under my steps to my 2nd floor. No basement or crawl space under my house. I own everything inside my house and from my house to the curb.

But I don’t understand why they would tell you that the problem was underground in the yard if they were also saying that the reason your water bill was high was because of a leak. Because unless your meter is before the underground line to the house, your meter wouldn’t be accounting for it because it would be measuring the water flow after the leak. The only reason to think there would be an underground leak before the meter would be if there was flooding in the yard, drop of water pressure, etc. unless the meter was at the street and the underground lines going to the house are after the meter.

Or am I missing something?

There was and never has been a leak. It was imo a faulty meter.

They’re testing it.

They sent 4 people to my house to find a leak and all agreed there is no leak. The next day they said I have an underground leak.

I covered all this up thread. - not trying to be smarmy, I’m just exhausted atm. I’ll clear up any questions tomorrow.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

How do you read a water meter that's 4ft under ground?

Every meter here is just inside the basement/crawl space or if a slab wherever the main line enters. Back in the day before the new meters that have the outdoor reader attached, we had to go into houses to read them.

But I will agree shutoff is usually the delineation spot (which is at the curb )

I assume it's based on type of winters?

They read the meter electronically. (Radio signal?)

 

[belljr]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

How do you read a water meter that's 4ft under ground?

Every meter here is just inside the basement/crawl space or if a slab wherever the main line enters. Back in the day before the new meters that have the outdoor reader attached, we had to go into houses to read them.

But I will agree shutoff is usually the delineation spot (which is at the curb )

I assume it's based on type of winters?

The read the meter electronically.

Yeah but if it's under ground at the shutoff where is the radio/rf device?

For example my meter is in basement, the reader is attached to my house. Dude walks around "shoots" the house thing get the reading. Its not centralized "yet" at least here

 

[Osaurus]

There are 2 types of smart meters:

AMR - Radio transmitted meter readings
AMI - Smart meters that talk to each other in a network.

The old manual “dial” meters are usually pretty bulletproof, but the work is usually contracted out to folks who walk around with a shopping cart full of them and dgaf.

I may be a UtilitiesGuy and have worked in water utilities (public and private)

 

[Osaurus]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

Huh....My water meter is in the house.

Rule of thumb from curb to house is homeowner

There is a gray area basically because the outside water shut off is typically on your property. That's the little blue cap that they will open bring a large metal tee and turn off the water if you have a leak or don't pay your bill

*Not sure if it's different by state but here that's the rule, I also may or may not have worked for the water department for a time

Never heard of a meter in the house but certainly every area/state is not the same. And I may or may not have worked for a plumbing company for some time.

Typically (here), the meter is at the shutoff. But. we'll use that term instead, the shut-off is where the line of delineation is...typically.

And in my case I'm responsible for it all. I have a well.

How do you read a water meter that's 4ft under ground?

Every meter here is just inside the basement/crawl space or if a slab wherever the main line enters. Back in the day before the new meters that have the outdoor reader attached, we had to go into houses to read them.

But I will agree shutoff is usually the delineation spot (which is at the curb )

I assume it's based on type of winters?

The read the meter electronically.

Yeah but if it's under ground at the shutoff where is the radio/rf device?

For example my meter is in basement, the reader is attached to my house. Dude walks around "shoots" the house thing get the reading. Its not centralized "yet"

There’s an antenna attached directly to the meter. It can be wired and sit above, but most of them are stumpy and have a pretty strong transmitter.

 

[Dezbelief]

AMR - Radio transmitted meter readings

This is my guess. The meter readers just have to drive close and their machine gets a reading. My meter is at the curb and the transmitter is attached to the top of water meter cover.

 

[belljr]

You have entered fascinating utilities chat

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Old meter and new meter whicj you can see was leaking after the install

ETA - Thisjos my NEW meter only. I posted the old meter down thread.


I don’t want the new meter leaking to confuse anyone, the leak was after they installed the new water meter, and it only leaked for like less than 24 hours. It has nothing to do with anything that’s going on here other than it shows their ineptitude.

 

[Osaurus]

You have entered fascinating utilities chat

It’s certainly not for everyone. Don’t get me started on meter swap projects (manual to AMR)

 

[Osaurus]

Old meter and new meter wish you can see was leaking after the install

Neptune meters are solid, but like I said, it’s either defective from the factory or installed incorrectly IF it’s truly the culprit. The latter is my guess

 

[Osaurus]

It could possibly be the lateral (usually PVC) between the meter and the main too I suppose.

 

[3C's]

Mine is 6’ underground

I dug a few trenches from the street to the house by hand back then. 6' would have put me 6' under.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Mine is 6’ underground

I dug a few trenches from the street to the house by hand back then. 6' would have put me 6' under.

Yeah, my digging days are over as well. I think all my DYI projects are done except maybe some woodworking.

 

[ChiefD]

It’s certainly not for everyone. Don’t get me started on meter swap projects (manual to AMR)

Hey man how about a NSFW before you start posting this stuff.

 

[fatness]

When our basement was filling up with water in a rental house we owned in Asbury Park, the water company explained they could see if there are leaks in the street pipeline and if so they are responsible but if it’s in the pipe that ran to our house it was our responsibility (and we didn’t have the insurance).

I'm pretty sure the WSSC is responsible not only for the water main in the street itself but also for the water connection leading to the house up to the property line only.

That’s what I said, wasn’t it?

That's not the way I understood what you said. Part of the pipe running from the main to the house is in the street right-of-way and is WSSC's responsibility. At the property line the responsibility for the rest of that pipe changes to the homeowner. What I understood you to say is that the entire pipe from the main to the house is the homeowner's responsibility. I may have misunderstood you, though.

Typically it's homeowner responsibility from the water meter (not including the meter) to the house. Property line doesn't really come into play though those 2 could be the same.

I've worked on several WSSC jobs over the years and typically the water meter is either at or within a couple feet of the property line.

 

[fatness]

Water /WSSC———meter————my house

Meter is out at the street shutoff… how it works here is everything before and at the meter is them, after the meter is my responsibility.

Thanks. That's what I was trying to describe earlier. I was going to try to draw a sketch or copy part of a set of WSSC water & sewer plans but the edible started kicking in and these curly lines I'm making won't shed much light on things.

Is your meter itself --- the part that gets opened and read manually, or gets read remotely --- actually 6 feet in the ground? If so that's ludicrous. Every one I've seen is at the surface of the ground.

 

[fatness]

Mine is 6’ underground

OK, I see what you mean. The connection from the meter to your house is 6' underground. But out at the end of that trench, closest to the road, is the actual meter they read which is at the surface.