Water meter socket

[CrashmanS]

I need to get into my water meter and it has a 5 sided socket securing the lid. I have no socket to fit this. I had a water bill double what it should be. I want to see if the leak indicator is spinning. My water company is off all this week. Any help would be appreciated.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[cdeer001]

SK Hand Tool 34205 5 Point Drive Utility Socket, 1/2-Inch.

On Amazon for $18 and change.

 

[mz44]

Pipe Wrench

 

[Stuart in MN]

My water company is off all this week.

Even though it's Thanksgiving, I'd think they would have to keep someone on duty this week.

Most often the meter is going to be working correctly, and there will in fact be a leak somewhere in your house - most common is a toilet that won't stop running.

 

[kbs2244]

There is often a fine for "un-authorized" opening of a meter.
Let it spin.
They have records of when your use increased and can credit you if it is their fault.

But I would check for a stuck toilet valve.

 

[CrashmanS]

Even though it's Thanksgiving, I'd think they would have to keep someone on duty this week.

Most often the meter is going to be working correctly, and there will in fact be a leak somewhere in your house - most common is a toilet that won't stop running.

There is no toilet running through and I can't remember using extra water. But it comes out to be an extra 55 gallons a day for the last 60 days. They had an emergency number but it's not really that.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[CrashmanS]

There is often a fine for "un-authorized" opening of a meter.
Let it spin.
They have records of when your use increased and can credit you if it is their fault.

But I would check for a stuck toilet valve.

No one here cares if your in the meter house. Except maybe if you don't pay tour bill, they shut it off and you turn it back on. I don't want to have another week of a water leak of 55 gallons a day. I can look quickly and see a few things. One the meter leak indicator should not be turning and two I want to see if they read the meter correctly. At least if it is leaking I can isolate the problem.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[JimRB]

Some houses have a water cutoff valve at the house. If you cut that valve off and the meter is still spinning then that suggests the problem is the water line feeding the house.

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ This.

Shut OFF entire inflow of water to the house.

Also, there HAS to be a shutoff out before the meter. Worse case scenario, you could shut off ALL flow through the meter. While you are out there, take metal rod and poke into ground on the path to house and see if there are any wet spots to indicate a leak between the meter and house.

Agree that extra 3,000+ gallons per month is extraordinary. There are months that I only use 750 or 1,000 gallons in a month. Even with watering yard, I had a summer month that was only 2,250 gallons as I have well for sprinkler system for yard. Good luck finding out the problem.

 

[gregtwojeeps]

 

[CrashmanS]

Some houses have a water cutoff valve at the house. If you cut that valve off and the meter is still spinning then that suggests the problem is the water line feeding the house.

That's my plan except I can't get to see the meter gauge to see if it's leaking. I have about 500 feet of under ground pipe to worry about and 30 feet of that goes under my blacktop driveway. My service goes from my meter to the old well house with a shutoff. Then to the house with another shutoff. So I can check for the leak but I have to get into the box.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[CrashmanS]

Tried that already! The head is down in a recess and you only grab the flat on one side and the point on the other.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[CrashmanS]

I ordered the socket as recommended above. But my ocd will worry about it till it gets here Friday.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[mires]

I remove these literally every day with nothing more than a pair of Channellocks. Just give it a spin and lift it up.

 

[fastcar1954]

dig up the whole ring around meter with lid attached. just a few inches under the grass.

 

[FullRaceMerc]

I removed some of those goofy 5 sided bolts with a crescent wrench recently. It took some fiddling, & never felt quite right, but all of a sudden it would catch enough & spin the bolt. I'm not really sure how.

I wonder if one of these crazy things would work.

 

[CrashmanS]

I remove these literally every day with nothing more than a pair of Channellocks. Just give it a spin and lift it up.

I literally can't turn it with channel locks! It is TIGHT! This hasn't been open in about 15 years. My meter is wireless and they just get the reading from the truck when he pulls up. Actually it had about 2 inches of sod on top of it.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[CrashmanS]

I removed some of those goofy 5 sided bolts with a crescent wrench recently. It took some fiddling, & never felt quite right, but all of a sudden it would catch enough & spin the bolt. I'm not really sure how.

I wonder if one of these crazy things would work.

Never thought of that tool. I see them at Walmart.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[ScottsGT]

Also do a check of accuracy. We recently had a lot of bad press about folks getting $1000+ water bills and the city showing up and telling the customer everything checked out OK and they must have a leak.
Water dept. was just blown up by a retired engineer that got to the bottom of things after his $1000 water bill. Meter reads in cubic feet of water used. He did a calculation to figure out 20 gallons of water vs. Cubic ft. Discovered his meter was reading 3X too high. This went into the local news and now the water department is back peddling as fast as they can to prevent class action law suits against them and the city. They have been telling customers all over the city and county to call a plumber. I'm betting there will be a lot of reimbursements for unnecessary plumbing bills.

 

[tonyprovo723]

Is this a 1 month spike? Is it possible they did a manual reading after months of wireless readings? Maybe one or more months of estimated readings followed by an actual reading?

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[Piper27]

You can probably get a set of these at home depot or Lowes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00065DMHC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Mikej1]

I work in the industry. You may have had your cost per unit raised or have used a lot of outside water this summer. What type of meter / brand?

 

[WWheeler]

You can probably get a set of these at home depot or Lowes
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00065DMHC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Those are hex, normal 6-sided, sockets. The OP is battling a pentagon, five-sided, nut used on water meters and fire hydrants. The industry uses those because the typical joe-schmoe doesn't typically have a tool that will work on them.

If you have room to the side a fire hydrant wrench can be had for cheap to deal with a wide variety of five sided nuts, but they won't be of much help if the nut is down in a hole. Then you'll need a socket that fits if you can't break it free with channellocks or something that isn't exactly supposed to fit a 5 sider.

Is this a 1 month spike? Is it possible they did a manual reading after months of wireless readings? Maybe one or more months of estimated readings followed by an actual reading?

This has happened to me many times, even since they started with the wireless meters. It is common practice for them to go for several months of estimated readings before they actually come out and get a real one. In my case when they estimate it it's buried in the fine print on my bill somewhere. And whatever formula they use for estimating is always at least 10% lower than what my average should be, so I go several cycles with a slightly lower bill than normal, then they hit me with more than double.

 

[38 Dodge Coupe]

I use a crescent wrench- fits perfectly.

 

[WWheeler]

I use a crescent wrench- fits perfectly.

I haven't ever seen a crescent that fits a five sided nut "perfectly". I suspect yours isn't like his.

I have a fire hydrant wrench similar to this made for 5-sided nuts from 3/4" to 3".

Similar ones can be had for ~$10-$15 or so. But, as I said before, if the nut you're battling is down in a hole then it probably wouldn't do you any good.

 

[CrashmanS]

Is this a 1 month spike? Is it possible they did a manual reading after months of wireless readings? Maybe one or more months of estimated readings followed by an actual reading?

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

They did an estimate last month. And a real reading the month before and this month.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[ScottsGT]

Here's the article where the city got caught.

http://www.wistv.com/story/33706846...-milk-jug-simple-math-to-beat-1000-water-bill

Search WIS' website for "water bill" and you can find all kinds of customers going to the press about $1000 water bills and the City denying the issue.

 

[6t7gto]

Shut the water off at the main incoming line.
Wait about 15 minutes then turn it back on and listen if you hear water running.
If you do, you have a leak somewhere.
Make sure no one flushes a toilet while you are doing this.

P.S. They read my meter wrong once. Got a $400.00 water bill. I paid it.
Called them and they credited me. I didn't pay a bill for 2 1/2 years.

 

[coljar]

This is timely. We normally pay the minimum usage which is 3000 gal. or less. Last month it doubled for no reason. City checked for problems on their end and I checked my end, nothing. This month it was normal again, but we didn't do anything different. It will spike about every 4 months, but not like this. Every bill says it is an actual reading, so it's not like they are making an occasional adjustment.

 

[goingtoarizona]

1)Turn off all the water, watch/record the meter.
2)Go inside house, turn off all noisy appliances, kids, tv ,wife..listen for water. We moved into a rental many years ago and could hear the water running. We lost 10K gallons under the house on a rusted water pipe. Landlord fixed it and the house settled and some doors wouldn't closed two months later. My ex grew some HUGE squash and never watered them once!

 

[CrashmanS]

The leak is between the well house and the house. Of course it go's under my driveway for part of it. Below is the pipe I burried it's only about 5 years old. There is only one connection on the entire run. It is a yard hydrant. Can it leak through the shutoff and into the ground? It empties the stand pipe water into a rock sump to keep it from freezing. Or maybe the connection is loose. I would like to try fixing the yard hydrant first. Any one have one if these that may shed some light onto my problem. I have a hard time thinking that the pipe would spring a leak. But I'll try simple before I dig.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

 

[barks]

The much maligned water distributor is absolved from the various nefarious acts suggested by the OP and others?

 

[CrashmanS]

The much maligned water distributor is absolved from the various nefarious acts suggested by the OP and others?

Seems to be. Can't fool the gage I guess.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk