# water meter missing



## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

hey I have a question... how illegal is it for me to put a nipple where my meter used to be? what are the consequences?


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## majakdragon (Sep 16, 2006)

You can be fined for Theft of Service. Where I used to live (Toledo Ohio) the water department would estimate your water usage and the fine was $150 plus 3 times the water and sewer service bill.


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

o well thats not that bad... I was thinking it would be in the thousands plus jail time... Thats totally worth the risk


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## secutanudu (Mar 15, 2009)

Are you seriously planning to steal from your water department and posting about it online? Not only is that dishonest, it's about the most idiotic thing i've seen on these forums in 2 years.


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## plumber666 (Oct 7, 2010)

While you're at it, bypass the electrical and gas meters!:thumbsup:


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

"hvacguy" posted "where the water meter _used to be"_ Now, is the water meter currently not there? OR--are you going to do what some of us are thinking: removing your current water meter and replacing it with a nipple? You'd have to be really ingenious in my area to do this: Our City uses a "special" fitting coming off of the water supply line that is not standard pipe threads, then an adapter to the water meter.


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

well, this is what happens when your parents dont teach you the importance of budgeting and good credit. I couldnt pay my water bill and after turning my water back on several times they took my meter. im gonna pay my bill but im not going to work smelly cause I cant shower...


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## fabrk8r (Feb 12, 2010)

I'm totally subscribing to this thread...this is gonna be epic!


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## hyunelan2 (Aug 14, 2007)

thehvacguy said:


> well, this is what happens when your parents dont teach you the importance of budgeting and good credit. I couldnt pay my water bill and after turning my water back on several times they took my meter. im gonna pay my bill but im not going to work smelly cause I cant shower...


We [I work for a city] will turn off your water at the B-Box, and put a specially designed cap over it, so it cannot be accessed. We had one guy torch off the cap to turn his water back on, so we turned off the water and filled the b-box with gravel (vac truck cleared it when we needed to access it again). Besides the obvious fines, he also got a destruction of public property charge and a few other things.


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## moneymgmt (Apr 30, 2007)

thehvacguy said:


> well, this is what happens when your parents dont teach you.....


Oh, well its obviously not your fault then. Proceed with indecent behavior and complete lack of common sense. :no: 
Lets say you pull this off and get it to work; what are the Vegas odds you'll ever do the right thing and put the meter back on? :whistling2: 
Paying the water bill is a problem but the fines associated with what you're proposing are no concern? I'd rather take the odds that you'll strip the fitting, break the joint, or flood the house. Think through the ramifications of this, I really doubt its worth it.


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

moneymgmt said:


> Oh, well its obviously not your fault then. Proceed with indecent behavior and complete lack of common sense. :no:
> Lets say you pull this off and get it to work; what are the Vegas odds you'll ever do the right thing and put the meter back on? :whistling2:
> Paying the water bill is a problem but the fines associated with what you're proposing are no concern? I'd rather take the odds that you'll strip the fitting, break the joint, or flood the house. Think through the ramifications of this, I really doubt its worth it.


Actually im not a complete dumbass. Who strips fittings? I paid my bill and the meter is back on. This is a credit issue not an issue of morals


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## tpolk (Nov 7, 2009)

hose from the neighbors house


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## secutanudu (Mar 15, 2009)

thehvacguy said:


> This is a credit issue not an issue of morals


I can't afford a new TV, so I'll just go steal one. Credit issue, not morals.


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

I can live without tv, but not water.


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## md2lgyk (Jan 6, 2009)

Please. Tell me you're not a ignorant and low-class as you sound.


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## nap (Dec 4, 2007)

thehvacguy said:


> I can live without tv, but not water.


 what you are considering could result in criminal prosecution. It would be up to the water company and the prosecutor in your area whether there were any criminal charges pressed or not.

Most areas I have seen tend to not press charges for the first time they catch you. If they removed the meter because you had previously defeated a lock the placed after turning off the water, the chances of prosecution increase.


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## Homerepairguy (Aug 1, 2010)

plumber666 said:


> While you're at it, bypass the electrical and gas meters!:thumbsup:


Now THAT WAS FUNNY! ..... :yes::laughing::thumbsup:
HRG


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

This one take the cake----These parents that failed to teach you financial responsibility--

Are they financially able to make your bail?

You are a creep.


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

Guess I have been doing it wrong all these years. When I can't afford to pay for something I do without or find a legal and moral alternative. But it's ok to steal. Who knew???


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## merle (Dec 18, 2007)

Thanks everyone for chastising (The Hvacguy) looks like he did the right thing after all. Good work everyone.


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## Story2TellxD (Mar 30, 2020)

After reading this thread, I'm sorry, but I need to tell you a story.

Growing up I did not have "traditional parents". And how i turned out to be as normal as any of you. Is a mystery.

Ok so Dad was a dirtbag, didnt work, on welfare. And at one point, the Bill's got so high that the DWP shut off the water and electricity. They placed a little lock on both meters. So dad cuts them off and turns them back on. Next billing cycle, the electric guy sees the power is on. Puts another reinforced lock on. Dad cuts it off. Next billing cycle, the electric guy sees it's on again. So they remove the power meter from the house. Dad finds another meter on a abandoned house, hooks it up. Powers back on. Next billing cycle, the electric guy sees theres a new meter. So they remove the meter again and remove to line from the pole to the house. Dad finds another meter and line from another abandoned house, and has a friend install them. The power company gives up and pursues criminal charges. Dad does jail time, and no longer tries to get free electricity.

As for the water same story. They placed a lock, he cut it off. Next cycle they see it on. So they remove the meter. Dad finds another meter. Next cycle they see the meter, so they remove it and cap off both ends of the pipes. 
So dear old dad goes out and finds another meter, retreads the pipes, removes the meter box, and completely buries the working pipes and meter. About 4 feet over, he digs out the ground to place a dummy location for the meter box, and 2 dummy capped off pipes. Now each month for 3 years the water guy sees no meter and pipes capped. So one day, dad's washing the car, and the water guy shows up, opens the box expecting to see a meter, but there is not one. Just 2 capped off pipes. The water guy is scratching his head and leaves. Later return with a sherriff to take dad for a long over due vacation... 

I swear this is a true story. Dear old dad once claimed that we were middle class. My mom replied, ummm sorry to burst your bubble dear. But the middle class are not on welfare, we are barely above homeless.


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## Story2TellxD (Mar 30, 2020)

Oh and FYI the utility companies have since passed laws. Violation of this type of behavior is a felony and you will be serving years in prison if you attempt trying to steal utilities. You've been warned


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## Story2TellxD (Mar 30, 2020)

I just came here to ask a question, but after hearing some of you laugh at lesser things. I thought I'd share my story, as we all can use a good laugh... Thanks dad ^^


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## Story2TellxD (Mar 30, 2020)

So I have a serious question. A friend moved in to a home she recently bought. But there is no water meter. 
And the area she lives in, is on lockdown because of covid 19. The water company can not be reached. No one ever answers the phone. Spent 8 hours waiting to speak with someone, over a 3 day period.

She does not want to get illegal services, but she must have running water. Are there any 3rd party companies you can think of that could locate and install a meter for her? 
She works for the city, so she knows how to bypass contacting issues. And still shes hit a impassible wall.

Or any government agency that could oversee this issue.


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

Just run a hose to your neighbors house and steal his water... California the land of the brain dead.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

... a home she recently bought but there is no water ...

Call, in order, the public works department, the fire department and the police department on their normal business lines and ask for hints or assistance.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

You can shower in jail. And maybe you can get a boyfriend.


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## 3onthetree (Dec 7, 2018)

Story2TellxD said:


> So I have a serious question. A friend moved in to a home she recently bought. But there is no water meter.
> And the area she lives in, is on lockdown because of covid 19. The water company can not be reached. No one ever answers the phone. Spent 8 hours waiting to speak with someone, over a 3 day period.
> 
> She works for the city, so she knows how to bypass contacting issues. And still shes hit a impassible wall.


Hard time believing this. If this is not municipal supplied (where she works), water companies are huge and sophisticated serving a region or state. So call centers may be down to automated service, but you can start and stop service online without a phone call. If all else fails, call the leak number to transfer you to the right department.


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## lenaitch (Feb 10, 2014)

Story2TellxD said:


> After reading this thread, I'm sorry, but I need to tell you a story.
> 
> Growing up I did not have "traditional parents". And how i turned out to be as normal as any of you. Is a mystery.
> 
> ...



This thread pre-dates my time on the Chatroom and it was indeed entertaining.


You story was interesting. It seems that if your dad had worked as hard at a job as he did trying to beat this system growing up would have been a whole lot better.


To your question, the public works department is completely closed? What if they had a main failure or something else catastrophic. I have a hard time believing absolutely nobody is around. Curious why there is no meter. Was it a 'distress sale' where the previous owners were delinquent? I'm not sure what the ramifications are. Did the municipality commit to have a meter installed by a certain date (assuming the closing date) but now claiming 'force majeure'? It's probably hard to know if nobody is answering the phone. No emergency number? She could probably get bottled water and one of those cooler dispensers but i guess that doesn't help with other uses. I don't know if water services rent larger tanks for hand-flushing toilets, etc.


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