[Avodah] If you have an electronic water meter, can you turn on the faucet on Shabbos?

[Zev Sero]

On 2/08/2012 6:42 AM, Elazar M. Teitz wrote:
> It's a machlokes haRishonim.  See Tosafos Shabbos 103a, d.h. "Lo tzricha,'
> wherein they quote the Aruch that if he does a melacha to another person's
> land, and doesn't particularly care for that other person's benefit, it
> is considered lo nicha lei.

The Aruch does seem to use it that way, but Tosfos rejects it.


On 2/08/2012 8:33 AM, Akiva Miller wrote:
> The question as I see it is this: Given that we DO have an obligation to
> pay for it, do we want the meter to operate properly or not? RZS asserts
> that "If the meter were to stop running you'd be happy, not sad", but
> I disagree strongly. If my meter were to stop running, then my choices
> would be:

> 1) steal the water outright
> 2) use the water, but discuss payment with the water company either
> before or after actually using it.
> 3) stop using the water

I reject your premise that continuing to use the water when the meter is
not running is stealing. If the company wants to charge me it's its job
to keep track of how much water I use; if its meter has stopped running,
that's its problem, not mine. It has never required me to check the meter
before using water, indeed I'm not meant to take any notice of the meter;
it's the company's property (incidentally giving the company a toehold
in my property, and thus allowing it to rent out my property for eruvin
purposes) and it's none of my business whether it's running or not.
My obligation is to pay the bill when it arrives.

In addition, I don't agree that using water without paying for it is
actually "stealing", since the water is not the company's property; I'm
paying for its services in bringing the water to my home. But that's
a side issue.

-- 
Zev Sero
zev at sero.name