Can people steal water like they can power?

I've noticed a trend the last couple of days that I wasn't fully aware of.
I live in an apartment building & I'm pretty sure the people above us have some sort of drug set up. They've stolen power from us before but we were able to figure out what breaker it was so we mostly leave it turned off. After that our hydro bill went down & has stayed down.

The newest thing I've noticed is every time I run water I can hear what sounds like a big pressure hose (the kind you use in construction) or something of that equivalent noise, kicks in & stops a minute or two after I've turned the water off. I hadn't connected the two before because there was usually lots of founds going on in my place but lately it's been quite so it was something I noticed. The last couple of days I've been listening for that sound & without fail it always happens when I have water running.

My question is, can people steal water like they can power? Or is it just some very odd coincidence?

a reply to: knoledgeispower

I guess if you have basic plumbing skills it could be possible, im guessing theyd be stealing hot water if they dont have electricity. Only way to know for sure is to follow the pipes in your place which is probably close to impossible without taking some dry wall out.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

Not sure but anything is possible. If you live in an apartment why don't you just contact the property management and have them check it out?

a reply to: knoledgeispower

I don't know sorry. I have a water meter outside my house. You could be hearing the cold water tank filling up again.

I guess its possible but i do not know where would they need that much water that they would have steal it, electricity can be explained by maybe drug house set up (growing lights etc), it would lower their chance to get busted by electric bill sudden rise. I cant figure where would so much water go though, could be water pipes broken from connecting parts so with pressure it could flow the water out with some power but i am not expert so cant really say, maybe contact apartment handyman or something.

originally posted by: minusinfinity
a reply to: knoledgeispower

Not sure but anything is possible. If you live in an apartment why don't you just contact the property management and have them check it out?

Management doesn't care that our bathroom flooring has mold underneath it & water leaks in when it rains a lot. That being said, I don't know if they would care about water possibly being messed with.

originally posted by: EnigmaAgent
a reply to: knoledgeispower

I don't know sorry. I have a water meter outside my house. You could be hearing the cold water tank filling up again.

The sound isn't coming from my water tank. Even running the taps while I wash my hands is enough to have the sound start up & I don't think water tanks need to fill up after just being used a little bit. ((At least my water tank doesn't, it only fills up after showers))

originally posted by: romilo
I guess its possible but i do not know where would they need that much water that they would have steal it, electricity can be explained by maybe drug house set up (growing lights etc), it would lower their chance to get busted by electric bill sudden rise. I cant figure where would so much water go though, could be water pipes broken from connecting parts so with pressure it could flow the water out with some power but i am not expert so cant really say, maybe contact apartment handyman or something.

I don't know about other types of drug set ups, just cannabis, so I'm not sure if water is needed for other types of drug set ups.

a reply to: knoledgeispower
It is pretty easy to check.
Make sure all the water is off all over the house.
Then look at the meter. If it is moving ever so slightly that means you have a leak.
Also you can request usage bills from the Water Company goin back years.
If your usage suddenly spiked you can be sure something is weird

probably air in the system somewhere, could be a small leak but without knowing how your plumbings setup its impossible to say but quite often in group buildings its a bugger to find as you need to turn off the supply to each property and see if it changes which can be a pain

originally posted by: knoledgeispower

originally posted by: minusinfinity

a reply to: knoledgeispower



Not sure but anything is possible. If you live in an apartment why don't you just contact the property management and have them check it out?

Management doesn't care that our bathroom flooring has mold underneath it & water leaks in when it rains a lot. That being said, I don't know if they would care about water possibly being messed with.

Yeah. I doubt they would care. (sorry.) Not sure what you can do without proof. Good luck, be safe.

What that sounds like to me is an inline water pump. They are commonly used in buildings with large amounts of piping. It increases the water pressure and volume so that the people on the end of the line get the same as the ones closest to the source.

They also put them in some hot water systems as a recirculation pump so that the system is always full of hot water, cutting down the amount that goes down the drain.



Harbor Freight

It could also be a crimped or kinked line that is causing a cavitation like effect in the pipes. That can cause a lot of noise.

originally posted by: dashen
a reply to: knoledgeispower
It is pretty easy to check.
Make sure all the water is off all over the house.
Then look at the meter. If it is moving ever so slightly that means you have a leak.
Also you can request usage bills from the Water Company goin back years.
If your usage suddenly spiked you can be sure something is weird

Being in an apartment complex, I haven't seen a water meter anywhere so I can't check myself. It's something that has only just recently started to happen too.

originally posted by: Maxatoria
probably air in the system somewhere, could be a small leak but without knowing how your plumbings setup its impossible to say but quite often in group buildings its a bugger to find as you need to turn off the supply to each property and see if it changes which can be a pain

If it was air in the system, would it sound like a heavy duty machine running? I've had leaks in other places & never heard this sound before.

originally posted by: minusinfinity

originally posted by: knoledgeispower

originally posted by: minusinfinity

a reply to: knoledgeispower



Not sure but anything is possible. If you live in an apartment why don't you just contact the property management and have them check it out?

Management doesn't care that our bathroom flooring has mold underneath it & water leaks in when it rains a lot. That being said, I don't know if they would care about water possibly being messed with.

Yeah. I doubt they would care. (sorry.) Not sure what you can do without proof. Good luck, be safe.

We've been searching for a new place to move but there isn't a whole lot available in our price range that isn't in the heart of drug selling/growing central. One of the downsides to living in a small town

I don't know how in your situation, but I'm sure there are ways.

Outside my house I am sure people could connect another hose to mine and take it, once we get the water meters. I already plan to keep an eye on that.

Last year my hose went missing. I had ideas on who took it. I was wrong though. I was told by a little bird ' hey last summer your daughter parked her car up the street and was sneaking across your yard with a hose going shhh don't tell my mom'. So I bluffed her I caught her and not said anything until she fessed up. Her story as to why was so stupid. She's been staying at her fathers home close by that has an outdoor pool. ' it's was a really hot day and we wanted to swim, but the pool had been drained. So I came and took your hose, went around neighbours yards, took theirs and connected them altogether to speed it it up, it was a super long hose, so cool' As if it would! ' I put them all back though, except this one I couldn't remember who's it came from. Was I wrong to do that?' Wow I would say so! Needless to say she is the rudest person I have ever known. She's over 30 btw. Never listened to me to stop touching things. Last week, she took her friends there to swim, one guy had no shorts, so she chopped up the her dads pj pants, two pairs until they fit right. Can't wait until he finds that out. She used to steal my clothes, but it was always stop picking on the kid.

So yes there are ignorant people like this who will!

a reply to: violet

Wow!

When I hear stories like that I always wonder what the parents are like.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

If you pay for your water call the hydro company ASAP and get someone out there.

Somewhere in that building have to be individual hot water tanks with individual meters. At least that's how it is here in the states. Get them to do a read on your meter this month & next month so you have a baseline.

I had to do this with my gas line since the company was billing me on past usage, once I had the new furnace put in and checked the bill turns out they owed me a credit for over charging me in their estimated billing.
Yay!!!

originally posted by: Caver78
a reply to: knoledgeispower

If you pay for your water call the hydro company ASAP and get someone out there.

Somewhere in that building have to be individual hot water tanks with individual meters. At least that's how it is here in the states. Get them to do a read on your meter this month & next month so you have a baseline.

I had to do this with my gas line since the company was billing me on past usage, once I had the new furnace put in and checked the bill turns out they owed me a credit for over charging me in their estimated billing.
Yay!!!

No we don't pay for water at least.

The hot water tank is in our place, I've just never seen water meters for this place so they must be behind the door beside the laundry room.

originally posted by: knoledgeispower

originally posted by: Caver78
a reply to: knoledgeispower

If you pay for your water call the hydro company ASAP and get someone out there.

Somewhere in that building have to be individual hot water tanks with individual meters. At least that's how it is here in the states. Get them to do a read on your meter this month & next month so you have a baseline.

I had to do this with my gas line since the company was billing me on past usage, once I had the new furnace put in and checked the bill turns out they owed me a credit for over charging me in their estimated billing.
Yay!!!

No we don't pay for water at least.

The hot water tank is in our place, I've just never seen water meters for this place so they must be behind the door beside the laundry room.

Water can be stolen if the person is crafty enough. Anything can be stolen. As to why they would I have no idea. If you do not pay for water, why is it a big deal. If you need peace of mind call the landlord or find someone who knows pipes like a plumber. If you can not afford a plumber see if someone on a site like craigslist can help you for cheap or a trade or something. Or ask your friends if they know someone who will help you for free.