Wondering if others are experiencing increased water meter readings in the Ranch club ? My water bill has doubled despite efforts to reduce water usage in the house. Called the water company and was informed a new type of meter was installed in January. Its the electronic meter which is not read manually. I did the toilet bowl test last night. No leakage. The plumber said to take a reading and then check it in the morning, but with the new readers there is no way to even get a reading as a homeowner! Started doing some research online..seems these new electronic meters have a host of problems mostly centered around faulty transmitters. The water co is supposed to come out today and zap the meter to get a reading and then again in the AM. I know for a fact we are not using more water..if anything, less. Bought a water saving front loader washer as well this year. I really see this as an inconvience to the homeowner as now I cannot check my own home for water leaks by manually reading my meter

Wondering if others are experiencing increased water meter readings in the Ranch club ? My water bill has doubled despite efforts to reduce water usage in the house. Called the water company and was informed a new type of meter was installed in January. Its the electronic meter which is not read manually. I did the toilet bowl test last night. No leakage. The plumber said to take a reading and then check it in the morning, but with the new readers there is no way to even get a reading as a homeowner! Started doing some research online..seems these new electronic meters have a host of problems mostly centered around faulty transmitters. The water co is supposed to come out today and zap the meter to get a reading and then again in the AM. I know for a fact we are not using more water..if anything, less. Bought a water saving front loader washer as well this year. I really see this as an inconvience to the homeowner as now I cannot check my own home for water leaks by manually reading my meter

who is your "water company?" i'm curious, i thought if you weren't on a well in calvert, you paid the calvert treasurer's office. my water went up a ####load. and i live alone and i'm not even there that much.

Im in the Ranch club so its the Chesapeake water association. They guy came out and did a reading..we determined no leakage. But that still does not explain double the water usage. Its got to be a faulty reading and from what im reading about electronic meters its very common.

I do know this latest bill included the doubling of the bay restoration fee; it went from $2.50 to $5. I'm sure before long, the bay will be all clean and sparkly because of the increase.
I've been kinda aggravated with the ranch club water company (I know that's not the correct name....) ever since they put in those meters, about 2003-ish? The water company came out and checked the meter and said it was good. I'm frustrated because there are only three of us in the house; hubs and I are away from the house ten hours a day (ATTENTION bad guys: we have two big dogs, so don't get any ideas!), for the last few years kiddo has been away at college; and even now our bill is still ridiculous!
I was unaware of the newer meters you're talking about, jramberg. These were put in near the beginning of the year? Was this just for a small-ish group of homeowners? (I do read the little newsletters they enclose with the bills, but don't remember reading about these.)

Mine too has gone up quite a bit..and Its me and a roomate who are rarely there..I don't understand either.

I would like to thank the person that brought this thread to my attention. I am the General Manager of the Chesapeake Ranch Water Company which serves approximately 9000 persons in the greater Chesapeake Ranch Estates area.

I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your water meter. I am sitting here looking at a graph of your water consumption. You have an apparent leak with some days of high use, probably from watering your lawn. Given the recent drought and heat, this is really not so extraordinary. Yours are problems that we encounter regularly. Now that we have the tools to actually see the problems, they are more readily identifiable.

The newer style water meters being installed give us the capability of downloading your usage history for the last 90 day period. I can tell you what your consumption was for any 24 hour period down to the nearest 15 minutes. They are extremely accurate.



Water meters, no matter what style or brand, wear with age. They are all mechanical devices and subject to mechanical faults. When they wear, it is ALWAYS to the benefit of the consumer. The older the meter, the less efficient in recording every unit of water. Water meters NEVER fail in the favor of the utility.

These meters are being installed in all water utilities in Southern Maryland. The Chesapeake Ranch Water Company (CRWC) was just the first to adopt this technology in this region. There are different brands and styles, but the all do the same thing in generally the same way.

Lastly, because of the water source issues being brought to SoMD by the unplanned growth of the 1990's, CRWC employs a conservation style rate. Essentially that means that the more you use, the higher your water rate is. The second 1K gallons is more per 1K than the first 1K, and the third 1K costs more than the second 1K and so on.

This way the people that work to conserve water pay the least and get the smallest bill. Those that want elaborate landscapes that place extra burdens on the water system, and can afford it aren't restricted so long as they pay for hogging the extra "bandwidth" of the water system.

I thank you for the opportunity to address this matter and inform those that seem to be looking for answers.

You will be receiving a copy of your usage pattern shortly.

I would like to thank the person that brought this thread to my attention. I am the General Manager of the Chesapeake Ranch Water Company which serves approximately 9000 persons in the greater Chesapeake Ranch Estates area.

I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your water meter. I am sitting here looking at a graph of your water consumption. You have an apparent leak with some days of high use, probably from watering your lawn. Given the recent drought and heat, this is really not so extraordinary. Yours are problems that we encounter regularly. Now that we have the tools to actually see the problems, they are more readily identifiable.

The newer style water meters being installed give us the capability of downloading your usage history for the last 90 day period. I can tell you what your consumption was for any 24 hour period down to the nearest 15 minutes. They are extremely accurate.



Water meters, no matter what style or brand, wear with age. They are all mechanical devices and subject to mechanical faults. When they wear, it is ALWAYS to the benefit of the consumer. The older the meter, the less efficient in recording every unit of water. Water meters NEVER fail in the favor of the utility.

These meters are being installed in all water utilities in Southern Maryland. The Chesapeake Ranch Water Company (CRWC) was just the first to adopt this technology in this region. There are different brands and styles, but the all do the same thing in generally the same way.

Lastly, because of the water source issues being brought to SoMD by the unplanned growth of the 1990's, CRWC employs a conservation style rate. Essentially that means that the more you use, the higher your water rate is. The second 1K gallons is more per 1K than the first 1K, and the third 1K costs more than the second 1K and so on.

This way the people that work to conserve water pay the least and get the smallest bill. Those that want elaborate landscapes that place extra burdens on the water system, and can afford it aren't restricted so long as they pay for hogging the extra "bandwidth" of the water system.

I thank you for the opportunity to address this matter and inform those that seem to be looking for answers.

You will be receiving a copy of your usage pattern shortly.

Does anybody else find this post extremely creepy? Are they stalking the OP or are they presuming who the OP is off the screen name or are they tracing the OP's ISP to her home and her water meter? Are they sitting in front of her house watching her water her lawn?

Anyway you slice it, it's freaky creepy.

Does anybody else find this post extremely creepy? Are they stalking the OP or are they presuming who the OP is off the screen name or are they tracing the OP's ISP to her home and her water meter? Are they sitting in front of her house watching her water her lawn?

Anyway you slice it, it's freaky creepy.

I didn't find it creepy but I did find it written in poor taste, and in no way could it be "there fault."

I didn't find it creepy but I did find it written in poor taste, and in no way could it be "there fault."

There's that too.

All I know for sure, I'm glad I don't live in the Ranch Club, where the "governing authority" stalk the people who live there. Bunch of weirdos. No wonder the home prices in there are so freaking cheap. Folks want to escape.

So, according to the OP, CWA came out, ran a test on the lines, and found no leak. Then, exnodak comes on here and says based on the usage sheet in front of him, there is an apparent leak. So my question is, which person in the CWA is giving the accurate info? Also, with how long this seems to have been an issue (January), if there was a leak, one would think the homeowner would have become aware by now.

FYI, I live in CRE and checked my bill online. Mine is high too but that is due to user error. :blushing:

I am the original poster and I do not water my lawn, or wash my cars or hose down my driveway. Im actually very very conservative with my water usage. I dont understand how it is the guy comes out and runs the test and it shows nothing leaking but then Im told I have a intermittant leak. Makes no sense. Talked to my neighbor he said his has also increased and he is concerned. I could understand alittle extra usage but when your water usage is doubled, it is of some definate concern when you know you have not done anything different.

Is there no meter accessible in your house that shows the usage? Even if the numbers aren't the same the difference based on when the meter was read should be the same, right? We have an auto transmit thing but we also have a meter inside our house where the water comes in. Maybe not everyone has that.

If meters never fail in favor of the company, explain my $27,000 dollar, 9,000,000 gallon water bill? Now, it was corrected, but dont tell me the new meteres cannot fail in any other way, I have the bill to prove it. this was after a three month period with a brand new water line, no leaks, that showed 35K gallon used in a house that not even lived in.

So, Mr CR water guy, I say BS.

I live in St Clement Shores (MetCom is our water company) and our water bill was $52 approx. 6 months ago. It is now $77 a month. 2 months in a row. We do not water our lawn (Lawn what lawn? I have weeds on a GOOD day!) I just bought one of those fancy schmancy High Efficiency Washers, so WTF is causing my water bill to go so high now? Something sounds hinky all the way around to me!:jameo:

I'm confused here. Did the water company put in new meters lately or are these the individual meters put in about ten years ago?
We had astronomical use after our house was put on an individual meter as opposed to the old flat rate. I called a plumber who determined that the water line immediately after the meter was leaking. Since it was after the meter, we not only paid for the repair, but also the bill.
I would check the feed line coming in to your house.

Did the rates change?


Look on your next bill and see the usage. Go back to the previous bill and look at the usage, typically they should be about the same unless you've had a lot of company, did a lot more laundry, watered outside, filled a pool, etc. If you didn't do any of that and the usages are way off you have a leak somewhere (again, unless the meter is faulty which is rarely the reason. You may not like that but it's the truth).

Your leak wouldn't necessarily be in the toilet, you could have a bad fitting seeping somewhere (which you wouldn't notice if it's in the crawl space) or a leak in your lateral from the meter.

As a note the "typical" household uses around 250 gallons/day. That's the number used when planning a water system and allocating taps for new construction.

I would like to thank the person that brought this thread to my attention. I am the General Manager of the Chesapeake Ranch Water Company which serves approximately 9000 persons in the greater Chesapeake Ranch Estates area.

I can assure you that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your water meter. I am sitting here looking at a graph of your water consumption. You have an apparent leak with some days of high use, probably from watering your lawn. Given the recent drought and heat, this is really not so extraordinary. Yours are problems that we encounter regularly. Now that we have the tools to actually see the problems, they are more readily identifiable.

The newer style water meters being installed give us the capability of downloading your usage history for the last 90 day period. I can tell you what your consumption was for any 24 hour period down to the nearest 15 minutes. They are extremely accurate.



Water meters, no matter what style or brand, wear with age. They are all mechanical devices and subject to mechanical faults. When they wear, it is ALWAYS to the benefit of the consumer. The older the meter, the less efficient in recording every unit of water. Water meters NEVER fail in the favor of the utility.

These meters are being installed in all water utilities in Southern Maryland. The Chesapeake Ranch Water Company (CRWC) was just the first to adopt this technology in this region. There are different brands and styles, but the all do the same thing in generally the same way.

Lastly, because of the water source issues being brought to SoMD by the unplanned growth of the 1990's, CRWC employs a conservation style rate. Essentially that means that the more you use, the higher your water rate is. The second 1K gallons is more per 1K than the first 1K, and the third 1K costs more than the second 1K and so on.

This way the people that work to conserve water pay the least and get the smallest bill. Those that want elaborate landscapes that place extra burdens on the water system, and can afford it aren't restricted so long as they pay for hogging the extra "bandwidth" of the water system.

I thank you for the opportunity to address this matter and inform those that seem to be looking for answers.

You will be receiving a copy of your usage pattern shortly.

If you are who you say you are, it is COMPLETELY unprofessional to share a customer's usage information with the public. You could have pm-ed them.

I have to say Exnodak is who he says he is, the General Manager of the Chesapeake Ranch Water Association (Company). I know him personally and have served on the board of directors in the past. He has been a member of the forums as long or longer than I have.

If you re-read his original post, someone brought this thread to his attention, he is not stalking anyone... It could have been someone on the board or someone else he knows, that contacted him (it was not me..). He could have pulled your chart based on them having been out to test your lines...

The water company does attempt to contact members when they notice readings that are unusually higher than normal. They were doing this when I was on the board. Sometimes only to find someone was watering their lawn or filling their pool. But it could be a major leak outside and underground or something as simple as a toilet constantly running... I believe they will still come out and try to determine the problem if you let them. And if it is the meter, they will replace that as well...

Even though exonodak and I haven't gotten along in a while, what I do know based on what I read, is that he was attempting to help you. I am not speaking on behalf of the water association, nor do I serve on the board of directors. My only affiliation is as a customer just as you are and the only increase I have seen is the rate hike on the Flush Tax for Bay Restoration...

June

I have to say Exnodak is who he says he is, the General Manager of the Chesapeake Ranch Water Association (Company). I know him personally and have served on the board of directors in the past. He has been a member of the forums as long or longer than I have.

If you re-read his original post, someone brought this thread to his attention, he is not stalking anyone... It could have been someone on the board or someone else he knows, that contacted him (it was not me..). He could have pulled your chart based on them having been out to test your lines...

The water company does attempt to contact members when they notice readings that are unusually higher than normal. They were doing this when I was on the board. Sometimes only to find someone was watering their lawn or filling their pool. But it could be a major leak outside and underground or something as simple as a toilet constantly running... I believe they will still come out and try to determine the problem if you let them. And if it is the meter, they will replace that as well...

Even though exonodak and I haven't gotten along in a while, what I do know based on what I read, is that he was attempting to help you. I am not speaking on behalf of the water association, nor do I serve on the board of directors. My only affiliation is as a customer just as you are and the only increase I have seen is the rate hike on the Flush Tax for Bay Restoration...

June

Well obviously he wasn't helpful. The OP said she doesn't water her lawn et al that he said was her problem. And pulling her records (or not as it appears these records aren't even hers) and sharing them on a public forum is not just creepy. It's unprofessional as well as reflects poorly on the whole Ranch Club.

If I was the OP, I would continue to research where the problem could be and while I was at, I would file a formal complaint against exonodak, for 1) attempting to share personal information about me on a public forum, that's illegal - 1974 Privacy Act, and 2) for attempting to blame me for something I did not do, such as watering her lawn, aka slander.

I have to say Exnodak is who he says he is, the General Manager of the Chesapeake Ranch Water Association (Company). I know him personally and have served on the board of directors in the past. He has been a member of the forums as long or longer than I have.

If you re-read his original post, someone brought this thread to his attention, he is not stalking anyone... It could have been someone on the board or someone else he knows, that contacted him (it was not me..). He could have pulled your chart based on them having been out to test your lines...

The water company does attempt to contact members when they notice readings that are unusually higher than normal. They were doing this when I was on the board. Sometimes only to find someone was watering their lawn or filling their pool. But it could be a major leak outside and underground or something as simple as a toilet constantly running... I believe they will still come out and try to determine the problem if you let them. And if it is the meter, they will replace that as well...

Even though exonodak and I haven't gotten along in a while, what I do know based on what I read, is that he was attempting to help you. I am not speaking on behalf of the water association, nor do I serve on the board of directors. My only affiliation is as a customer just as you are and the only increase I have seen is the rate hike on the Flush Tax for Bay Restoration...

June

Thank you June.

Well obviously he wasn't helpful. The OP said she doesn't water her lawn et al that he said was her problem. And pulling her records (or not as it appears these records aren't even hers) and sharing them on a public forum is not just creepy. It's unprofessional as well as reflects poorly on the whole Ranch Club.

If I was the OP, I would continue to research where the problem could be and while I was at, I would file a formal complaint against exonodak, for 1) attempting to share personal information about me on a public forum, that's illegal - 1974 Privacy Act, and 2) for attempting to blame me for something I did not do, such as watering her lawn, aka slander.

There is no PII in the post, and saying you watered your lawn is hardly slander :killingme

I think the post was fine. looking up someones usage based on a thread, yeah its a little much, but hardly complaint worthy.



meanwhile, OP should really have a few more things looked at to ensure there are no other elaks, and then perhaps ask the company to test the meter. There is obv an issue somewhere that needs to be addressed.

There is no PII in the post, and saying you watered your lawn is hardly slander :killingme

I think the post was fine. looking up someones usage based on a thread, yeah its a little much, but hardly complaint worthy.



meanwhile, OP should really have a few more things looked at to ensure there are no other elaks, and then perhaps ask the company to test the meter. There is obv an issue somewhere that needs to be addressed.

The Privacy Act has expanded a bit for the purposes of the interwebz. :kiss: PII not sure what that means but the Act does apply in this case

The Privacy Act of 1974 (Pub.L. 93-579, 88 Stat. 1896, enacted December 31, 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a), a United States federal law, establishes a Code of Fair Information Practice that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies. A system of records is a group of records under the control of an agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifier assigned to the individual. The Privacy Act requires that agencies give the public notice of their systems of records by publication in the Federal Register. The Privacy Act prohibits the disclosure of information from a system of records absent the written consent of the subject individual, unless the disclosure is pursuant to one of twelve statutory exceptions. The Act also provides individuals with a means by which to seek access to and amendment of their records, and sets forth various agency record-keeping requirements.




I'd still file a complaint because it appears that the poster exlax tried to intimidate the OP. Just because the info he posted isn't about her, doesn't mean it's info that should have been posted about anybody. Remember, nowadays, lots of judges are upholding rulings in favor of people who have had things posted about them online. :shrug: I'm not saying contact a lawyer, I'm saying file a complaint so maybe exlax will get placed under some form of control.

He shouldn't have listed specifics about what seemed like a specific poster. He should have made generalizations or pm-ed the poster. I'm a teacher and someone would have a heart attack if I started talking on here about a poster's child that I taught.

Its this simple-

Meters record minute by minute usage of water. Over time this record can be compared to itself or the records of other users- or programmed thresholds. Software can spot trends. Those trends can have known causes- leaks for instance or watering a lawn or doing wash.

The Privacy Act has expanded a bit for the purposes of the interwebz. :kiss: PII not sure what that means but the Act does apply in this case

The Privacy Act of 1974 (Pub.L. 93-579, 88 Stat. 1896, enacted December 31, 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a), a United States federal law, establishes a Code of Fair Information Practice that governs the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of personally identifiable information about individuals that is maintained in systems of records by federal agencies.



AHEM....Does not apply. Not a federal or any other flavor of government agency.

No personal data was used or disclosed that would indicate the OP's identity other than what the OP provided.

No other information was disclosed that was not disclosed by the OP.

Notwithstanding the above points, the OP gave constructive permission to discuss her issues by posting them in a public forum where she was asking for information and inviting discussion. Information and discussion was rendered. End of story. No trauma, no drama.

I live in St Clement Shores (MetCom is our water company) and our water bill was $52 approx. 6 months ago. It is now $77 a month. 2 months in a row. We do not water our lawn (Lawn what lawn? I have weeds on a GOOD day!) I just bought one of those fancy schmancy High Efficiency Washers, so WTF is causing my water bill to go so high now? Something sounds hinky all the way around to me!:jameo:

Lexington Park here, but I am also on Metcom. I was home a grand total of 11 days during the last two months, and my water bill was $77 for both (just came in the mail yesterday).

I believe that is the new minimum payment, as there was nothing listed for overage.

No trauma, no drama.


well thats professional

Sounds like it's time to set up 55 gallon drums for rain collection.

The minimum payment is a requirement of the bondholders to ensure the borrowers have enough money to make payments.

And this is why i love having a well. I can use as much water as i please.

Until it goes dry and you need to dig another.

Ours is really really deep...... I dont think we will have to worry.

Take a look in Friday's Legal Notice Section of the Enterprise.

Invitation on bids from METCOM for:

Automated Meter Reading Implementation Project #WO1112
"126 subdivisions and commercial properties in St. Mary's County.
Approximately 12,900 accounts will be converted to the new AMR system..."

It seems the CRE is on the cutting edge of community upgrades.

Sounds like it's time to set up 55 gallon drums for rain collection.



you do not own rain water .....



Who Owns the Rain? Hint: It's Not Always Homeowners (http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/water/4314447)

Across the country, resourceful homeowners have embraced rainwater capture as a way of conserving community water supplies while maintaining healthy gardens. Unfortunately, rain barrels are sometimes at odds with the law. Facing certain water scarcity, cities and states have begun to wrestle with the conundrum of water rights versus conservation. When it all shakes out, will you own the rain that falls on your own property?

There's that too.

All I know for sure, I'm glad I don't live in the Ranch Club, where the "governing authority" stalk the people who live there. Bunch of weirdos. No wonder the home prices in there are so freaking cheap. Folks want to escape.

She called the water company and asked them to come to her home to check the meter.

Well, the water company brought a data sheet showing the daily water consumption...basically showing intermittant leaks and constants leaks through out the graph. Which I have no explaination for. So I guess Ill have the plumber out to point out where this leaks are. The day the water company came out we shut every thing off and it showed no leaks so its a mystery. Ive since turned my hoses main line off, even though they are rarely used unless my neighbor sneaks over at night and uses them. lol, had someone go under the house, no water, no dripping, no noise..did the toilet check, all the sinks are normal and functioning. It cant be the main line that feeds the house as it would have showed up on the test. I still dont trust those electronic meters..if you research them you see there have been some problems with incorrect readings. Ill watch it another month and see how it goes

Well, the water company brought a data sheet showing the daily water consumption...basically showing intermittant leaks and constants leaks through out the graph. Which I have no explaination for. So I guess Ill have the plumber out to point out where this leaks are. The day the water company came out we shut every thing off and it showed no leaks so its a mystery. Ive since turned my hoses main line off, even though they are rarely used unless my neighbor sneaks over at night and uses them. lol, had someone go under the house, no water, no dripping, no noise..did the toilet check, all the sinks are normal and functioning. It cant be the main line that feeds the house as it would have showed up on the test. I still dont trust those electronic meters..if you research them you see there have been some problems with incorrect readings. Ill watch it another month and see how it goes

So much for the knowledge I have!
I thought it would be easier than this to run down. I'm sorry you are having to go through all of this.. At least turning it off at the main, you know the leaks are at the house.. So that narrows things down...

I hope you find out where the leaks are and soon... the longer it takes, the bigger the leaks will get and the higher your bill...

Good luck and thank you for taking the time to have it checked out even after all the Drama that took place in the thread!

June

Wondering if others are experiencing increased water meter readings in the Ranch club ? My water bill has doubled despite efforts to reduce water usage in the house. Called the water company and was informed a new type of meter was installed in January. Its the electronic meter which is not read manually. I did the toilet bowl test last night. No leakage. The plumber said to take a reading and then check it in the morning, but with the new readers there is no way to even get a reading as a homeowner! Started doing some research online..seems these new electronic meters have a host of problems mostly centered around faulty transmitters. The water co is supposed to come out today and zap the meter to get a reading and then again in the AM. I know for a fact we are not using more water..if anything, less. Bought a water saving front loader washer as well this year. I really see this as an inconvience to the homeowner as now I cannot check my own home for water leaks by manually reading my meter

You don't have a cat, do you?

Gizmo Flushes - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WofFb_eOxxA)