t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 21, 2015 17:57:55 GMT -5
So water meters are finally coming to my neighborhood. Yes, I live in CA and its amazing we haven't had them thus far. Original compliance with the meter plan was supposed to have the city fully metered by 2025. Most of the city is now metered. All of the plans called for the meters to be buried in the sidewalk in front of the homes. Apparently the city has decided to expedite the project and issued letters to homeowners in my neighborhood that they could have the meter buried in the front yard for free or pay $400 to have it buried in the sidewalk. Keep in mind we are the first neighborhood to be required to pay for what was the standard installation (i.e. buried in the sidewalk) so residents are in a tizzy. On top of that the city letters arrived at home last Friday and purported to require payment of the $400 in person no later than yesterday for a sidewalk installation.
Would you pay to have a meter in the sidewalk v. for free in the yard? The meters are about 1 foot long by 8 inch wide rectangles with a concrete cover (so they blend well in the sidewalk but will be a glowing white rectangle in the lawn).
To make things more confusing city staff has confirmed that I was not sent a letter, nor was the prior homeowner so they technically can't do anything on my property until I have been provided notice. They have however already marked my yard with a blue dot showing where in the lawn the meter will be installed.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Jul 21, 2015 18:23:54 GMT -5
Save the $400 and let them throw it in the yard. If they have to take out a section of the sidewalk, the disturbed section will probably be uneven after a few years. And, if the meter box in the yard really bothers you, Home Depot sells green spray paint. You can buy spray paint for 133 years for $400.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jul 22, 2015 0:23:48 GMT -5
I wouldn't give it much thought. I'd just let them put it anywhere they want (free, of course).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2015 0:45:24 GMT -5
3 homes in various counties in this state & all had the meter in the yard with the box cover.
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GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl
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Post by GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl on Jul 22, 2015 9:27:29 GMT -5
Wow! Our water meter is attached to the house in the same area as the gas and electric meters. I don't think buried water meters would work here when we have winters with 10 feet of snow.
I'd go with the free yard bury unless you think you might want to landscape that area of the yard at some point.
If you bury it in the sidewalk and they need to repair or replace the meter, do you get charged $400 each time they have to dig it out?
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buystoys
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Post by buystoys on Jul 22, 2015 9:29:57 GMT -5
Ours is in the yard and we have a green cover for it. It's easier access with it in the yard and we've appreciated that fact a couple of times.
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myrrh
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Post by myrrh on Jul 22, 2015 9:50:19 GMT -5
Our water meter is in the front yard next to the sidewalk. The box cover is grey I think, but it doesn't matter because it's covered in gravel 99% of the time. Our yard is xeriscaped which means lots of gravel. (The main water valve is in the box, and since the house water valve doesn't seem to be working right that one works to turn the water off if needed. We'll call a plumber eventually.)
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 22, 2015 11:58:37 GMT -5
Most of the neighbors are still incensed that a few streets over before the city decided to expedite the program the meters were buried in the sidewalk for free. Its three of the wealthiest neighborhoods that were left for last and are now subject to the fee that no other neighborhoods incurred. Yes, we have a choice they didn't, yard or sidewalk - they were all required to do the sidewalk burial for free.
Here is the local news story regarding the issue:
www.news10.net/story/news/local/sacramento/2015/07/20/property-owners-complain-about-water-meter-charge/30442421/
The dumpster you see in the newscast is a half a block from my house (another recently purchased home getting a much needed internal facelift).
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Jul 22, 2015 12:04:49 GMT -5
Wait, how does your city charge for water usage if you didn't have a meter before?
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 22, 2015 12:23:24 GMT -5
The Captain, we pay a flat fee for water based on the number of rooms in the house.
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lexxy703
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Post by lexxy703 on Jul 22, 2015 12:34:04 GMT -5
The Captain, we pay a flat fee for water based on the number of rooms in the house. That is crazy. I have a normal size house but live alone whereas most of my neighbors are married with a couple of kids. I am sure they use a lot more water than me. GRG- Every meter I have ever had is on the house with the gas & electric meters.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 22, 2015 12:35:08 GMT -5
Yes, given its just 2 of us I am sure we have been overpaying for years - well, until we put 15,000 gallons into the pool 2 years ago when it was built. Sadly, no pool now that we have moved.
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The Captain
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Post by The Captain on Jul 22, 2015 12:36:45 GMT -5
The Captain, we pay a flat fee for water based on the number of rooms in the house. Really? So granny who lives in the same 3-2 that she's been in for over 40 years and only does two loads of laundry a week pays the same as two families living in the same house with 8 kids (don't laugh - it's right across the street from me) who run sprinklers outside every day and wash several loads of laundry? Even if a house has an in-ground sprinkler system? No wonder I saw so many of those while visiting my friend a few years back. We've have metered water in some parts of the Chicago area for decades. I'm surprised it's taken some parts of CA so long, especially with the water shortages (and yes - I know the farmers use the most water). Thanks for clarifying, - interesting.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 22, 2015 12:38:08 GMT -5
Yep - granny would pay the same as the 8 person household.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 22, 2015 12:39:58 GMT -5
Once the meters come on line the city provides a breakdown of flat rate charges v. if you paid for just what you used. Homeowners have 12 months to continue to pay the flat rate if they wish then you switch to the metered rate. Many switch early because the metered rate is less (think of the situation of granny v. 8 person you posed above)
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Jul 23, 2015 12:41:03 GMT -5
::Our water meter is attached to the house in the same area as the gas and electric meters.::
Ours is in our basement, with a wire that runs to the outside of the house attached to a module that can be scanned as the city worker walks by. It's kind of nice.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on Jul 23, 2015 12:48:46 GMT -5
Ours are in the ground between the sidewalk and street. It's where their responsibility stops and yours starts. It's below the frost line, about 4' down. They used to take the cover off to read them, but now have WiFi modules on the cover and can read them from the office. They added WiFi to electric and gas a few years ago.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2015 13:14:16 GMT -5
Well heck, I feel dumb now because I don't know where my water meter is and I've been in my house over a decade. I have 2 covers in my yard, one I know is where you turn off the water to the house. The other one is closer to the house and I've never even wondered what it is.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Jul 23, 2015 13:59:12 GMT -5
Well heck, I feel dumb now because I don't know where my water meter is and I've been in my house over a decade. I have 2 covers in my yard, one I know is where you turn off the water to the house. The other one is closer to the house and I've never even wondered what it is. What's a water Meter ?? LOL I have well water. However for those with county/City water in this area they have the meters mounted on the house, like the electric meter.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Jul 23, 2015 14:06:55 GMT -5
Our water meters are in the ground and the cover is black. There's also no frost line at all here.
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ArchietheDragon
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Post by ArchietheDragon on Jul 23, 2015 14:10:55 GMT -5
Ours water meter is in the basement. You used to have to mail in your meter reading every quarter but about a year ago or so they installed new meters that would be read by a van that drives around.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jul 23, 2015 14:18:07 GMT -5
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 23, 2015 15:03:51 GMT -5
the placement of the meter in the lawn means it will be about 2 inches into the yard and extending back from the edge of the lawn.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2015 21:52:12 GMT -5
This has been a really educational thread b/c I've always had a water meter and it's in the front yard right where my private water service line meets the municipal water main, just at the point where the municipal easement begins. I never knew there were so many regional variations. I also have a cut-off valve at the side of my house but most plumbers opt to shut the supply off at the meter when doing major repairs. We actually have a dual water meter housing that holds both mine and my next door neighbor's. Our city went to wireless remote read meters for water service several years ago as did the privately owned electric and gas providers. We actually paid to have the remotely read electric and gas meters installed in the backyard several years ahead of the general roll-out because we wanted to be able to lock the gate to the backyard for security reasons.
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teen persuasion
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Post by teen persuasion on Jul 23, 2015 22:10:34 GMT -5
::Our water meter is attached to the house in the same area as the gas and electric meters.:: Ours is in our basement, with a wire that runs to the outside of the house attached to a module that can be scanned as the city worker walks by. It's kind of nice. Same for ours, except town employees drive a truck up to scan it. We're out in the farmland, it'd be a long walk to scan our street, houses are often 1/4 mile apart minimum and the road stretches the length of the county. . They added the modules maybe 15 years ago?
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 24, 2015 11:27:57 GMT -5
ours will be wireless and read remotely. We have no frost line here.
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973beachbum
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Post by 973beachbum on Jul 24, 2015 11:31:21 GMT -5
At my first house it was in the basement when I bought it. A guy had to come out to read it ever 6 months or so. I may have mailed a postcard in though to tell them the reading. About 5 years later they started moving them outside for easier reading. Not long after that they added the thing that allowed them to read it from a car as they drove around.
Where we are now we have a well. There is a private water company that some people use either because they didn't want to drill a new one or their water was bad for some reason. Those meters are on the side of the house by the electric meter also though. That private water company is crazy expensive! I have heard of bills in the $250 a month range in the summer. For that price I'll keep my well TYVM!!
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 24, 2015 16:25:02 GMT -5
a neighbor 2 streets over just posted she got a door hanger saying her meter would be installed in her lawn on Tuesday and there should be no cars in front of the house during the day. Government is filled with idiots - Tuesday is our trash day, so this neighbor will have 3 cans out in front of her home and 3 different trucks stopping by to empty them (garbage, green waste, recycling).
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hoops902
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Post by hoops902 on Jul 27, 2015 8:11:09 GMT -5
a neighbor 2 streets over just posted she got a door hanger saying her meter would be installed in her lawn on Tuesday and there should be no cars in front of the house during the day. Government is filled with idiots - Tuesday is our trash day, so this neighbor will have 3 cans out in front of her home and 3 different trucks stopping by to empty them (garbage, green waste, recycling). I don't get why they're idiots for this? 3 trucks will stop by, for a total of 10 minutes max. That's a lot different than having a car parked in front of the house on the street all day.
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t-dog
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Post by t-dog on Jul 27, 2015 11:26:13 GMT -5
Guarantee that the cans will go out in the morning and not be hauled backup the driveway until sometime after 5 pm. Pretty much the same as having a car parked there all day.
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