Water in town house

[mon1]

I moved into a townhouse last October. I recently noticed that when my neighbour uses her water my water will run cold (say if my shower/tap is running). I also noticed that I hear her water running down my pipes........ I never had any of these problems until recently. Is this normal?

[Kanus]

That doesn't sound normal to me. Is every unit supposed to have it's own hot water heater and does each unit have it's own water meter or do you pay for water through condo fees? It sounds to me like you're sharing a water system and water heater with the adjacent townhouse.

[venice_it]

A lot of townhomes have drywall walls with insulation to separate the units. It is a bit of a stretch, but a possible bathroom renovation at the neighbour's house could have tapped into your hot water line accidentally.

It's not unusual to hear water running, but if it was really going cold from water use other than yours, that would be a concern. You would have to make sure this really is the case and not an imagined problem.

[JAC]

There's one way to tell if she's using your hot water, aside from opening the walls. The next time she's having a shower, shut off the valve on your hot water tank.

If she screams, she's using your hot water.:twisted: