Water meter question..small leak

[andytw]

I appear to have a small leak somewhere as my last 6 month water bill has gone up.
Looking at bills over the last 4 years I have calculated I am losing possibly 8 litres an hour.
Could be worse if it only started halfway through the billing period of course.
The center spinner on the water meter moves by a segment only every 10 seconds or so but it does move.
I have read the meter and am now waiting an hour and reading again.
Stop cocks are on but nothing is being used.

I have one of these..

https://dqbasmyouzti2.cloudfront.ne...rticles/WaterMeter_Sensus_721_420_80_s_c1.jpg

Am I correct to believe that the furthest right digit in red is litres.

Thanks

 

[footprints]

That looks like it reads in Cubic metres not litres. Have you checked your toilets, old style ones had an overflow that discharged from a pipe through the wall to outside. Modern ones simply discharge into the bowl in a trickle down the pan check that is not happening.

 

[Ian H]

It’s best if you turn the house stoptap off anyway just to be sure.

The 3 red numbers will be a cubic meter so the furthest right is a litre. You could test it by filling a bucket which is about 10 or 12 litres.

 

[andytw]

Ok thanks all. I turned the house stopcock off the other day and the centre wheel stopped it's movement.
Bit of head scratching to do yet, as I don't think the small amount of movement I am seeing equates to what happened on the bill.
Have checked toilets, all good, familiar with what you suggest I have dealt with that issue elsewhere.

 

[Ian H]

Probably best to do it now with your internal stop tap off. If the meter doesn’t turn in an hour there’s something going on inside the house.

 

[flameport]

small leak
...
possibly 8 litres an hour.

That's not small or trivial - 200 litres a day is more than the average person uses, and will cost £100s per year.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Faulty toilet flush valve letting by?

Andy

 

[andytw]

Took 2 readings exactly an hour apart and got
1625.6141
1625.6148
where the last digit is the rotating calibrated counter, bottom right in the original picture.
The middle spinner hardly moves but does just move a notch every few seconds or so.

So I make that 0.7 litres per hour which would add 3 units to my 6 month bill.
As I posted earlier "Bit of head scratching to do yet, as I don't think the small amount of movement I am seeing equates to what happened on the bill."
I will attempt to address the current leak but at least it is quite small (IMHO).

 

[Ian H]

Is the meter inside or out?

 

[andytw]

Is the meter inside or out?

Outside

 

[Ian H]

Though so but wasn’t sure when I clicked on the picture.

I’ve been on a job today, leaking 1litre in 8 minutes with 3 points of entry, nightmare!!!

How long is your supply from external to internal stop tap?

 

[andytw]

Outside

Though so but wasn’t sure when I clicked on the picture.

I’ve been on a job today, leaking 1litre in 8 minutes with 3 points of entry, nightmare!!!

How long is your supply from external to internal stop tap?

 

[andytw]

From meter to house stop cock is probably about 40 meters with a couple of Tee's en-route. I am pretty sure that the house stopcock will stop the flow so the 40 m feed and underground Tee's are, I believe, OK.
Now I have a handle on the flow which is less than a litre an hour I can turn off the stop cock for an hour and take readings. Watching the meter is not viable because, as previously stated, the movement at the meter as so small.