Advice needed - problems with acueductos pr

First,  make sure the leaks are not IN the house.  They are your responsibility.   
If the leaks are at the meters site, take lots of fotos and send your fotos to the all the news sources.... especially on FB.... it won't solve the issue but it will make a statement and a record.  with the drought situation, it will be good fuel for the fire.

These guys are NOT the most interested and frankly, I have many friends who have been charged  as if they had olympic swimming pools and have had to pay thousands of $$$  for leaks and problems they reported and reported.   
**** GO to the office and demand ( yes, play the ugly gringo if necessary) to see the supervisor and the supervisor's supervisor if necessary.  it will probably take several visits - phone calls usually don't work!!  they either hang up or just don't answer.   Remember, if they charge you, YOU WILL have to pay or they will cut you off... bribes don't work,,, they are just inefficient and uninterested. 
If all else fails, get a plumber and get the leak fixed yourself.... they are counting on you giving up and just paying...

The first step would be making sure that all faucets in the house are closed and then check if the water meter is running. If that's not the case then the leak is on "their" side.
They may or may not fix it.

If the meter is running the leak is on your side of the meter. In that case you need a plumber to fix it.

We had a plumber come out after the first bill was higher. He didn't find anything significant but recommended updating the flapper mechanism on both toilets since they looked pretty old. We went ahead since it would have been silly not to considering the cost. Mind you, the moment we got that first high bill we immediately turned off the water supply to both toilets and all the sinks while waiting for the plumber to show. We turned everything on again on an as needed basis, which was very infrequently. 1 or 2x a day and then promptly turned them off again. I'm from California so...it's deeply ingrained in me to not waste a precious drop AND I hate throwing out money. Who doesn't though.

I find it somewhat comforting I'm not the only experiencing this "challenge". I will say I'm not huge on social media but I will give it a try.

I will definitely go in person to an office and see what an be done, I hope to hell that will work above all.

Thank you for your help, I actually feel a lot better about tackling the situation now.

I have turned off the water main by the meter for tonight, (I was venting to my brother shortly before this and he told me the same thing you are) in the morning I'm going to check it again and take more photos if necessary.  Thank you!

Glad to know we are not the only ones with problems concerning the water company here. Our bills run around $26.00 a month until one month it was over $400.00, did everything possible to fix the problem, yes we found a little leak, plumber fixed n he gave us a certificate that we were told to get stating problem was indeed fixed. Long story but bill kepted going up n up...we have spent many hours at office in Humanco,  talked to the main supervisior. Always under investigation ...no pool, no sprinklers, only one tub, two toilets.....no kitchen sink as we r restoring house that was striped clean of all plumbing, electrical, windows n doors. The last kick is they r saying we owe back bills from before we bought the house, I TOOK them escrow/ lawyer papers n still they wouldn't accept that, they wanted r first eletric bills!!!!! Right now we r at a stand still, we pay r.monthly charges only. ...how this will turn out is anybody guess.
No one seems to know anything to help. We have also called them for 3 wks now, no pressure n sometimes no water n no one can give us an answer as to why.....crazy

Wow, that is horrible to deal with!

We have had a similar problem for months now...they were supposed to come out and remove the seal on our meter so we can repair our shut off valve leak and they never came. Whenever (which is most of the time) issues don't get resolved over the phone in PR its best to go to the office with your bill and photos...also try and be be diplomatic and keep your cool and hopefully with good luck they will do something about it. As it was suggested to you...playing the ugly Gringa doesn't get you very far in my opinion...people don't like it especially if you don't speak any Spanish...you just have to maneuver the system just like everyone else in PR. These are all too common problems here...I've had problems numerous times over the years in different homes. One time I had to pay $1500 for a leak in an apartment in apartment. I could tell stories all day long. Also don't even bother contesting your bill it probably won't get you anywhere...another time I had an investigation that was not really investigated for a bill that went from $60 to $500 and I still had to pay it. Also AAA has outsourced these kind of repair jobs to a private company that never does anything.

If the leak is between the counter and yout waterline going to the house, you're  paying for it. If the leakage is before the counter (readout/contador) the AAA is oaying for it. There's been a dramatic increase in the water bills, as of late; mine has gone from $27, to $38+! If you have a bill (mine arrive electronically),  see usage data & compare. If you are being screwed, go to the court & open a complaint, if they refuse to respond.

Dora787 wrote:

they were supposed to come out and remove the seal on our meter so we can repair our shut off valve leak and they never came.

The best way to deal with this is take it in your own hands. In many ferreterias (hardware store) you buy a tool that allows you to open the lid of the water meter container (or however you call that thing )and close the main valve so you can make repairs or have a plumber do that. Plumbers have a tool like that, too.

So, it's simple, really. Open the lid, make sure all faucets in the house are closed and check if the meter is running. If that's the case the leak is on your side and you should repair it of have it repaired unless you are willing to pay a lot of money for water that you don't use.
A leak on your side is not the responsibility of the water company so getting mad, taking pictures etc. etc. is not going to help you. Repair the leak or have somebody do it is the only solution.

Gary The best way to deal with this is take it in your own hands. In many ferreterias (hardware store) you buy a tool that allows you to open the lid of the water meter container (or however you call that thing )[i wrote:

and[/i] close the main valve so you can make repairs or have a plumber do that. Plumbers have a tool like that, too.

Thanks for the advice! We actually have one of those tools and in the past have used it...and yes the leak is inside our property and we have to fix it ourselves. My husband said the water company is now putting some kind of plastic or rubber seal around the meter so people from can't tamper with it...we called them to come out and remove the seal. They said they be out the next Monday and well that never happened! Guess we will have to go out and look at it again.

.

Dora787 wrote:

My husband said the water company is now putting some kind of plastic or rubber seal around the meter so people from can't tamper with i

I haven't heard about that and never saw one. I would be surprised if that seal would prevent closing of the main valve but then again, this is Puerto Rico.

Here's what I have:


The water meter.


The inside. To the left (arrow) is the main valve - to the right the meter.


The tool I use to close and open the main valve.
This is a home made tool. Some old iron and two minutes of welding saved me 20 bucks.

YEs, I have that tool as well, but any 7/8" crescent wrench ougt to do it, with a screw driver over the other end, to turn it. There, saved you welding expenses too!  I believe I posted earlier, if the leak is coming in after the meter (where the little numbers are), then it's on their dime... if that leak is after that number, then you're paying it... I had an issue with mine, years ago (in Guayama) where there were a lot of bubbles in the water, falsely causing my meter to trip, and the bill was outrageous. I called until I got someone, and told them what was going on... write everything down; day & times you call, who you spoke with (stop them, and ask them to spell their names & get any employee ID numbers too).  Whenever I have probs, I keep a notepad file open on this laptop... keep calling them, until you get what you want. Open a case at court, telling them when it started. Maybe you can get it ordered that you don't have to pay, until they get their collective sh*ts together.

I need a plumber for a leak in my Arroyo condo.  It is more extensive than a Do It Yourself job.  Any recommendations?

Hello,

Im new to the site and this is my first activity on here. I have been reading about the water issues. I have had several issues with my plumping as well as I am rehabbing a home. Something you might want to think about having done is installing a shut off valve along the backside of the in coming meter. I had one installed by my meter, going into the house,and one for the line going to my cistern. I had to do this in order to repair all the stolen lines due to the house being vacant for so long. This was very useful in chasing down leaks and also so i didnt have to mess with the meter itself. I have found it very reassuring for my mind that If i am out of town i can simply shut it off the water supply myself and not worry if there is a leak just running freely. I hope this helps.

Great idea!  When my husband built our home he put shut off valves to all the plumbing including in the bathrooms.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

Excellent suggestion thank you ....Johnny