Flushed Away ...

A wee back while ago we had our water distribution system redone, largely to install a UV lamp to kill (potential) bacteria in the water. That is one possible treatment required by the health department. Also required is a water meter, which - once we're open - we are supposed to check every day, and note the water usage.

Well, ever since we had the water meter, I made it a chore as part of my morning routine (getting up, walk the dog, make breakfast, etc.) to check the water meter. This was partly out of curiosity how much water we actually use. We usually use between 100 to 200 gallons per day (that's for the two of us, plus Jay, our tenant).

Today, like every morning, I get up, go into the basement to check the water meter, and write down the number in a pocket calendar. I almost fainted when I compared the number to yesterday's. Apparently we had used almost 1500 gallons within the last 24 hours!!! That gets your heart pounding!!!

Naturally I go into panic mode, I run through the house to see if there are any leaks, none, I go over to the cottage basement (which is accessed from the outside), where our washer and dryer are, but no sign of any water leaks or running water either.

It had to be inside the cottage. Now that was around 7:30am and I knew Jay would still be sleeping. So I did what I could do, turn off the water to the cottage (it actually receives the water from our fancy new water distribution system as described earlier, and thus has a shutoff valve in our basement).

Sure enough, just after breakfast, Jay called, having noticed the absence of water. So I jet over there, bringing the one thing most likely being the culprit: a toilet tank flapper. But I was wrong. Though the toilet was the culprit, it was the floater, which didn't shut off and kept the water running the entire night. A little jostling did the trick (though I am now in constant panic mode, fearing it could happen again).

In moments like these I am glad we have to get rid of the cottage. I have plenty of other things to do, and sometimes I see the cottage more as a liability than an asset.

Dirk