PDA

View Full Version : Is this hobby the cause of a high water bill?



JustinJDH401
08-11-2011, 05:43 PM
I have a 55 gallon and I do enough water changes as i think i need, now there is a high water bill. Is this the cause or could it be something else i hope? Does this happen to you?

cjr8420
08-11-2011, 06:54 PM
i dont think 1 55 geting water changes will effect ur bill enough to make it high even if u do it daily.id check toilets running constantly or maybe neighbors watering their lawn with your hose lol gl

Lenin
08-11-2011, 07:11 PM
Water is cheap, I mistakenly left my water hose overnight watering my plants until next morning that I saw it, I paid $10-15dlls more on than bill.

It was not done on purpose.

JustinJDH401
08-11-2011, 07:48 PM
OK so now I'm pretty sure the fish is not the problem. I thought I might have to get rid of every thing because the bill was steap . I get to keep the fish, but now there is this big mystery of where all this water is going.

Bill63SG
08-11-2011, 11:28 PM
Only one tank?I'm doing multiples.If only one,you have other issue's.

ericatdallas
08-11-2011, 11:57 PM
http://www.wasauna.com/bathroom-design.html
http://www.fcwa.org/story_of_water/html/costs.htm

A while back, my wife said she thought my tanks were costing a lot of money in water... so I did a calc. I think for my city, I estimated $20 on four 75G tanks with 100% WC per day. I don't do 100% but 75% so it was a significant overestimate.

The average cost of water per gallon is about 0.2 cents (or about $2 per 1000G) - (see links).

So assuming you change 100% water on your 55G everyday, that's

30*55*$0.002 = $3.3 per month.

You said you don't even change it once a day (implied from your statement - as needed). So I would say it's not your tanks.

laborelch
08-12-2011, 10:13 AM
I saw an increase in my water bill when I was syphoning into the toilet during water changes and r/o waste was draining into the sink .... waste water (sewer fee) is expensive - almost 50% of the bill!. Now the old water is going onto the tomato patch/garden. Changing about 200g/day.

Northwoods Discus
08-12-2011, 01:24 PM
Your R/O is using 2-3 times the amount of product water. How does the city know how much is going in the sewer? I think they calculate that from water usage.
Bill

Silver
08-12-2011, 02:13 PM
Your R/O is using 2-3 times the amount of product water. How does the city know how much is going in the sewer? I think they calculate that from water usage.
Bill

They do, I used to pour the water in to the back yard, no to the toilet and I got my bill charging me wait to much on sewer so I call them so they say they calculate base on how much water u consume because there is no way they can tell how much water goes to the sewer, so now it goes to my toilet is closer lol. anyways..

JustinJDH401
08-12-2011, 02:59 PM
I have always dumped all the water out the second story window with 5 gallon buckets.

Northwoods Discus
08-12-2011, 03:41 PM
Wouldn't want to walk under that window at the wrong time LOL. There are many costs to this hobby and the water bill will probably be the least of your worries.

LizStreithorst
08-12-2011, 04:47 PM
Check for leaks underground. Walk around your place and see if you see water standing anywhere. Happened to me once. A little digging and an expansion coupling was all it took to fix.

laborelch
08-12-2011, 05:32 PM
Your R/O is using 2-3 times the amount of product water. How does the city know how much is going in the sewer? I think they calculate that from water usage.
Bill

we actually have a discharge gauge meter that the city installed to measure sewer output .... :-(

Darrell Ward
08-12-2011, 05:40 PM
Yeah, I think most people (unless they live in a dry state) will find that having aquariums is no big deal as far as water expenses are concerned. Leaks, old, worn out meters probably account for most problems. Personally, I prefer having my own private well. This way I have full control over quality, and usage. I wouldn't dream of living in an area that requires you to buy your water from a public source. You then lose all control, and are at the whims and mercy of other people.

LizStreithorst
08-12-2011, 06:16 PM
Yeah, I think most people (unless they live in a dry state) will find that having aquariums is no big deal as far as water expenses are concerned. Leaks, old, worn out meters probably account for most problems. Personally, I prefer having my own private well. This way I have full control over quality, and usage. I wouldn't dream of living in an area that requires you to buy your water from a public source. You then lose all control, and are at the whims and mercy of other people.

My water is cheap. That's not the case for many. My husband and I had a well drilled when he first built our house here. The water company wanted to charge us for laying pipe down a county road. That wasn't right. At first our water smelled like farts (must have been high in sulpher). After a couple of months that went away, but it did have a lot of iron in it. It was bad for appliances and the whites in the laundry turned yellow. Finally the water company changed it's mind. I'm delighted to have good water from a public source. A well is only as good as the water it produces.

nc0gnet0
08-12-2011, 06:53 PM
Water is cheap, now electric, thats another story altogether............

Darrell Ward
08-12-2011, 07:53 PM
My water is cheap. That's not the case for many. My husband and I had a well drilled when he first built our house here. The water company wanted to charge us for laying pipe down a county road. That wasn't right. At first our water smelled like farts (must have been high in sulpher). After a couple of months that went away, but it did have a lot of iron in it. It was bad for appliances and the whites in the laundry turned yellow. Finally the water company changed it's mind. I'm delighted to have good water from a public source. A well is only as good as the water it produces.

That's a good point. Water found in low lying areas such as on a coastal plain is usually of poor quality. I remember when we lived in coastal South Carolina, we had a well for irrigation purposes. It reeked of sulpher, and was loaded with iron. The water from it was practically worthless for anything except raising mosquitoes IMO. In such areas, it would take quite a lot of money to purify water to a potable quality. It definitely depends on the area you live in.