water meter

[Frank]

Is it possible for a water meter measuring the volume of water flowing from public owned water line to private water line to malfunction by measuring 20 times the actual volume flowing, and then returning to correct measurement of volume?

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Post by Frank
Is it possible for a water meter measuring the volume of water flowing from
public owned water line to private water line to malfunction by measuring 20
times the actual volume flowing, and then returning to correct measurement of
volume?

sure

[Gary Heston]

Post by Frank
Is it possible for a water meter measuring the volume of water flowing
from public owned water line to private water line to malfunction by
measuring 20 times the actual volume flowing, and then returning to
correct measurement of volume?

Do you happen to have a neighbor who just refilled their swimming pool?

It could also have been misread. While I'm not an expert on water
meters, the main failure mode is to stop measuring. They use a turbine
spun by the water flow to power the gears in the meter display. It's
possible for the turbine or gears to stick (thereby letting unmetered
water flow) but I know no way for it to spin faster than the water flow.


Gary

[Frank]

Three day investigation on this including on-site inspection including county water department (in my presence) plus discussion with plumber leads me to believe
something I've not heard of...water theft. Either someone with a 20K gal tank drove up while no-one was home and hooked up to exterior outlet, filled up and drove away or also under cover of dark when when no-one there ran garden hose several hundred feet and filled their swimming pool. I want to ask my insurer if my policy (which includes theft) covers this type of theft. My problem is that a few years back it was documented that any enquiry about one's policy, in many cases, led to increases in premiums some time later. Rather than for that to happen I would rather bite the bullet in this incident and pay than to risk increase in premium... I would but a lock on exterior outlets.

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Post by Frank
Three day investigation on this including on-site inspection including county
water department (in my presence) plus discussion with plumber leads me to
believe
something I've not heard of...water theft. Either someone with a 20K gal
tank drove up while no-one was home and hooked up to exterior outlet, filled
up and drove away or also under cover of dark when when no-one there ran
garden hose several hundred feet and filled their swimming pool. I want to
ask my insurer if my policy (which includes theft) covers this type of theft.
My problem is that a few years back it was documented that any enquiry
about one's policy, in many cases, led to increases in premiums some time
later. Rather than for that to happen I would rather bite the bullet in this
incident and pay than to risk increase in premium... I would but a lock on
exterior outlets.

a 20K tank would weigh over 165000 pounds, not including the weight of
the tank

I seriously doubt someone could steal 20K gallons of water
overnight...it would require a flow of something like 40 gallons per
minute which is probably beyond the capacity of your pipes or a hose

[Frank]

Post by Malcom "Mal" Reynolds
overnight...it would require a flow of something like 40 gallons per
minute which is probably beyond the capacity of your pipes or a hose

I agree, but this occurred over a period of one month.

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Post by Frank

Post by Malcom "Mal" Reynolds
overnight...it would require a flow of something like 40 gallons per
minute which is probably beyond the capacity of your pipes or a hose

I agree, but this occurred over a period of one month.

how do you know that?

[Frank]

Post by Malcom "Mal" Reynolds
how do you know that?

Because of what you posted...other possibilities have been ruled out

[Malcom "Mal" Reynolds]

Post by Frank

Post by Malcom "Mal" Reynolds
how do you know that?

Because of what you posted...other possibilities have been ruled out

so it's unlikely that it was done with a hose because you would have
noticed...sounds like either a strange intermittent leak which you would
have noticed or the meter had been broken for many billing periods and
got itself healed