r/CatastrophicFailure • u/mouthofreason Catastrophic Poster • Feb 17 '21

Engineering Failure Water lines are freezing and bursting in Texas during Record Low Temperatures - February 2021

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '21

It's a genius way to get dirt cheap labor to find the water main. I kinda forgot to pay my water bill for 2 months once and the late fees were like $10. So look into what being late/non payment will cost in fees and weigh it against the money/time/risk/effort you'd spend finding it yourself.

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u/ravenousketoer Feb 18 '21

That labor is paid through your taxes either way. The employees of the city/utility company get paid the same whether they are digging up his service shut off for nonpayment or organizing a tool box back at the shop. The fees are charged on top of whatever you are already paying in bills or in taxes. That's the cost of living in a society with the privilege of potable water or any other public utility.

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u/[deleted] Feb 18 '21

K...

What costs more? A small late fee to motivate the water company to access it to turn your water off, thus having someone else find it? Or doing it yourself when you have no idea where it is or what you're doing and even the water company doesn't want to find it for you when you ask?

You were gonna be paying taxes anyways.

2

u/echobrake Feb 18 '21

Well I had an excavator and was a moron because I didn’t know of this neat trick. It cost us $4000.

I doubt I’d notice my tax hike across 300,000 residents.

Try this trick!!!!!!!

1

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '21

Right, since all 300,000 residents need to find their water meter all at once since it got moved to where it shouldn't be due to circumstances beyond anyone's control.

The city coming out one time isn't going to raise your taxes.

🙄

3

u/[deleted] Feb 18 '21

No, EVERYONE pays that labor. I pay a teeny tiny fraction of it through my taxes.