Customers

Carmel Utilities offers a temporary suspension of your utility account for customers who are away from their residence for extended periods of time. On the requested day of turn off, a utility representative will disconnect water service in the meter pit. During this time, you will not receive a bill for service. Requests to restore service must be made 24 hours prior to your desired turn on date. This is not a same day service.

Please be advised, this service is available Monday through Friday only. Carmel Utility personnel do not enter the residence or winterize the home. Please click here to request your services be shut off this winter.

You can click here to request service restoration.

Carmel Utilities offers a service to a landlord which provides a no hassle way for utility service to begin again in the landlord?s name after a tenant has moved out. With the completion of the Landlord Agreement form, a new account will automatically be established in the landlord?s name, after the tenant moves out, provided the tenant contacts the utility to discontinue service. The $20.00 new account fee is waived for a landlord with an agreement. Under the agreement, the landlord will also receive copies of tenant disconnect notices. This notification will give the landlord important account status information, and may aid in the prevention sewer lien filings by the utility. Please click here for a copy of your landlord agreement form.

A disconnect (delinquent) notice will be sent to any account with an outstanding balance over 45 days. This notice is a final reminder prior to termination of service. Should you receive such a notice be sure to contact our offices immediately to verify our records if you have made payment. If payment is not received by the due date on this notice, your water service will be terminated and you will be charged a service fee.

Should disconnection occur, the fee for the disconnection process is applied to the account prior to utility representatives entering the field. This disconnect fee is not a reconnection fee. If disconnected, the amount owed on the account must be made current before service will be restored. Only utility representatives may restore water service in the event of disconnection. Service can be restored for no additional fee between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm. Service restored after 5:00pm is subject to an after hours fee of $180.00. Service will not be restored after 9:00pm. Should service be restored by someone other than authorized utility personnel, the $180.00 after hours fee will be applied to the account, and the meter will either be padlocked or removed. If locks are removed from water meters, additional fees apply as well as possible charges for destruction of City property.

(Residential customers) The property owner owns the meter pit and service lines to the residence. Carmel Water Utilities is responsible for water service lines from the water main to the meter pit. The meter pit, lid, and casting are the homeowner’s responsibility. All plumbing from the meter pit to the home is the responsibility of the homeowner, including any house side valves and meter yoke. All repairs to the house side plumbing and any associated costs are the homeowner’s responsibility. If there is a curb stop, all plumbing past the curb stop is the responsibility of the homeowner. All repairs and associated costs after the curb stop are the homeowner’s responsibility. Carmel Utilities maintains ownership of the meter and any radio equipment.

From time to time you may receive notice from us of a need to provide a service repair to the meter pit. Usually this is a request to keep grass or any other matter from covering or interfering with the meter pit lid or a request to replace damaged parts. Your response within 30 days of the date of the notice is needed in order to have accurate readings of your water meter. At no time should planting or structure be placed on the meter pit.

During Cold Weather there are many precautions you can take to prevent frozen pipes.

If you are traveling:

• Open cabinet doors to expose pipes along outside walls to warmer room temperatures to keep them from freezing.
• Make arrangements with a friend or neighbor to periodically check on your house to make sure the heat is working.
• Never turn off your heat or turn the thermostat below 60 degrees.
• Turn down the temperature on your hot water heater to save energy but do not turn the unit off.
• Freeze alarms can be purchased for a nominal amount of money. These alarms can call a phone number you pre-select when the inside temperature drops below a determined level.
• Consider turning off the water to your house at the meter. In Carmel many times the meter is located in a pit by the front sidewalk.

Even when you are not traveling it is always prudent to take precautions against freezing.

• If you have pipes along an outside wall allow a small trickle of water to run at night to keep the pipes from freezing. The cost of the extra water is low compared to a frozen pipe. Keep any cabinet doors open to help in this effort.
• Know where your main water shut-off valve is. If a pipe freezes or bursts, shut the water off immediately.
• Keep your garage door closed whenever possible during cold spells.
• Insulate both hot and cold water pipes in an area that is likely to freeze since hot water pipes have a tendency to freeze first.

If your pipes do freeze:

• Turn the water to the house off (usually located in the water meter pit near the front sidewalk)
• Use a hair dryer, space heater or warm clothes to thaw the frozen pipe.
• Never use a torch or other open flame to thaw a pipe.
• Leave a faucet open when thawing a pipe to allow water to come out when the ice melts.
• Once the pipes have thawed, check for cracks and leaks.

Just a few proactive measures can keep your home safe and dry during the winter months.

Click here for the customer information brochure.