49,000 gallons - where is it???

[MO_cows]

The water district came around to read meters today. Got a call that our son's place showed 49k gallons used, waaay more than usual. So son and hubby are over there digging up the lines and trying to find the leak. Wouldn't 49k gallons create a swamp somewhere?????

 

[kenny thomas]

You would think so but I have had a major leak in one of my water systems since last spring and I still havent found it. Part of the system uses gravity so I can still use it but 3 of the water troughs use pressure and I will loose 10,000 gal in about 30 hours if I have pressure on it.
If you are in an area that is karst (caves and sinkholes) it may not show up.
My water is free so no big deal except it didnt allow me to rotate pastures as good as usual.

 

[DAYMON]

Is the meter still spinning if not has to be either someone left something on or a toilet hanging which would go through the drain and not show up. A toilet can get the chain hung on the flapper valve and. Lose that much water in about a week depending on the pressure

 

[MO_cows]

Meter was still running with everything shut off. There is one line to the house, another line to garage, then a line from garage to barn. They are in for lots of digging with no wet spots to tell the tale. Ground is hard as a rock from the drought.

 

[DAYMON]

Do they have any valves to isolate the leak like shut off one go check to see if the meter quits if not we sometimes have to install them to narrow a leak down.

 

[Mat Man]

I had a frostfree hydrient that you could feel a vibration when off .$600.00 water bill not even a wet spot.

 

[regolith]

What Daymon said.

Took me months to find the big one on this farm - it was a pipe tied down to a creek bed, come apart at the join. Pump was working full-time keeping that creek running. If the pipes are buried too deep sometimes the water goes straight down and never surfaces.

 

[Jogeephus]

Meter was still running with everything shut off. There is one line to the house, another line to garage, then a line from garage to barn. They are in for lots of digging with no wet spots to tell the tale. Ground is hard as a rock from the drought.

What I would do is to install a cut off valve if you don't already have one in the lines that go to the garage and the barn and turn them off. If the meter is running then you know its the line from the meter to the house otherwise you can at least isolate where the leak is by turning off valves and seeing what the meter does. Once I isolated the area of the leak I'd take two coat hangers and rig yourself two L's that you can use to witch the water lines. By turning the water on, the coat hangs should cross when you cross the pipe. Mark the pipe each time. Once you've marked the lay of the pipe spend some time looking closely or even using a probe to see if you can't locate the wet spot so you don't have to dig the whole thing up. My bet is its near a tree where the roots pulled the joint. Don't take much water to loose 49,000 gallons and unless its wet weather you will never see it. Good luck

 

[dun]

Meter was still running with everything shut off. There is one line to the house, another line to garage, then a line from garage to barn. They are in for lots of digging with no wet spots to tell the tale. Ground is hard as a rock from the drought.

What I would do is to install a cut off valve if you don't already have one in the lines that go to the garage and the barn and turn them off. If the meter is running then you know its the line from the meter to the house otherwise you can at least isolate where the leak is by turning off valves and seeing what the meter does. Once I isolated the area of the leak I'd take two coat hangers and rig yourself two L's that you can use to witch the water lines. By turning the water on, the coat hangs should cross when you cross the pipe. Mark the pipe each time. Once you've marked the lay of the pipe spend some time looking closely or even using a probe to see if you can't locate the wet spot so you don't have to dig the whole thing up. My bet is its near a tree where the roots pulled the joint. Don't take much water to loose 49,000 gallons and unless its wet weather you will never see it. Good luck

And I didn;t want to mention witching for it for fear folks would think(know) I was a hick.

 

[M5farm]

Meter was still running with everything shut off. There is one line to the house, another line to garage, then a line from garage to barn. They are in for lots of digging with no wet spots to tell the tale. Ground is hard as a rock from the drought.

What I would do is to install a cut off valve if you don't already have one in the lines that go to the garage and the barn and turn them off. If the meter is running then you know its the line from the meter to the house otherwise you can at least isolate where the leak is by turning off valves and seeing what the meter does. Once I isolated the area of the leak I'd take two coat hangers and rig yourself two L's that you can use to witch the water lines. By turning the water on, the coat hangs should cross when you cross the pipe. Mark the pipe each time. Once you've marked the lay of the pipe spend some time looking closely or even using a probe to see if you can't locate the wet spot so you don't have to dig the whole thing up. My bet is its near a tree where the roots pulled the joint. Don't take much water to loose 49,000 gallons and unless its wet weather you will never see it. Good luck

And I didn;t want to mention witching for it for fear folks would think(know) I was a hick.

thats almost as bad as believing them dang signs out of that thar almanac.