Burst pipe Water bill $1800, 947,000 gallons used?

Question

As far as I can tell only two small copper pipes burst underneath a sink that caused a flood. No body lived in the house for some time. I just got a bill for $1800 for apperntly using 947,000 gallons of water. I did a small calculation and I came up with a hypothetical situtaion. I calculated that if the water was running at 1 Gallon per second for 24 hours a day, it would have to be running 11 days to equate to 947,000 gallons.

The question is, is that possible to have such hight pressure when two small diameter pipes burst? I haven't had a chance to look at this whole situtation but it just seems so unreasonable amount of water.

The neighbor reported the leak, he saw water coming from the garage. I would think that a neighbor woudn't wait 11 days (assuming the pressure was 1 gallon pers second) to report the leak, seeing all this water coming out.

Any commnets greatly appreciate. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

What does your water meter say.Just compare its present reading to your bill.

Answer 2

60 gallons a minute sounds high, but lm sure it was a lot tho. call your city / county water department. You might be able to get them to give you a break. lf the first answer is '' no '', don't be discouraged,go up the food chain at city hall, even if you have to go all the way to the mayor. $1800 bucks ...l would.Good luck

Answer 3

Ask your utility company what the expected flow rate you are guaranteed by them is. One gallon per second is not possible. In our area they guarantee 20 gallons per minute, and they can test this at your house with their equipment. If the meter is faulty, they can compute a new bill. Good luck.

Answer 4

for 2 - 1/2" pipes?  you would be looking at about 15-20 gallons per minute MAX, depending on the size of the hole in the pipe.  i assume they froze?  This would equate to about 33-44 days empty, depending on the size of the leaks...

anyways, is there a basement to the house?  any floor drains?  if the water had somewhere to go for a time before it reached the garage, then this isn't so unbelievable...  

what about insurance?  will they cover some of this cost?  or is all on you?  Here, someone needs to physically enter a home every 72 hours or else your insurance won't cover anything.

i'm sure if you write enough letters to people at your town hall, you'll get some sympathy perhaps.  but i honestly think you'll be stuck with this.