Water Meter whizzing round

[doitall]

Not quite Tony, you are responsible for the pipe from inside your boundary, if it's a new plastic pipe then unlikely to be a major leak unless the pipe was faulty or the pipe was not a continuous length from A to B.

If the OP was to turn the stopcock off inside then put a listening stick on the pipe with one end in the ear he/she will hear if there's water running.

A long screwdriver is good, put the sharp end on the pipe.

 

[Agile]

Yes, you are responsible for leakage within your property.

However, if it was leaking in the vicinity of the meter then almost always the meter pit would partially fill with water unless the surrounding soil was very sandy or shingle and allowed the water to soak down.

It might be worth while to dig a few test holes along the line of the pipe to see if any wet areas are encountered.

Tony

 

[Nige F]

.

, put the sharp end on the pipe.

Is that a HSE risk assesment statement

 

[superstardeejay]

Just had the severn trent man ring after a bit of prompting, he says that the type of meter I have fitted doesn't go wrong and that's the end of their involvement in the matter. It's left me a bit in the lurch, do I start digging my drive up?

 

[doitall]

If it doesn't turn off it's gone wrong.

What was the result with the listening stick.

 

[ChrisR]

...and if you can't turn it off how are you supposed to fix the leak?


Call Ofwat to see what they say?

 

[andytw]

Before digging, have you turned off the stop-cock in the house and absolutely proved that it is still leaking between the water meter and the stop-cock. This was suggested early in this thread but I do not read that you have actually done this check.

andytw

 

[superstardeejay]

No the stopcock in the house is seized. However there's no way that £700 worth of water has poured into my house without me noticing!

The metering services guy from Enterprise came last night as it was on his way home, he suggested I reported it as a fault to the leak line. I did that and they're sending someone around on Tuesday to dig the drive up. She says it will be free just this once. Now I know where the cut off valve is, I can change the stopcock in the meantime.

 

[andytw]

No the stopcock in the house is seized. However there's no way that £700 worth of water has poured into my house without me noticing!

The metering services guy from Enterprise came last night as it was on his way home, he suggested I reported it as a fault to the leak line. I did that and they're sending someone around on Tuesday to dig the drive up. She says it will be free just this once. Now I know where the cut off valve is, I can change the stopcock in the meantime.

OK, understood.
We have a let property and the tenants water bill went sky high. We went through a similar procedure to yourself but found it was the flap valve in the toilet, just dribbling slightly.

andytw

 

[dhutch]

No the stopcock in the house is seized. However there's no way that £700 worth of water has poured into my house without me noticing!

Unless, as said, its poured stright back out again via a leaking syphonless or internal overflow toilet cistern, which are increasling common.

If the stop cock in your house is seized, once the water meter and isolation valve in the road of fixed, you want to get that valve changed.


Daniel

 

[Agile]

It always amuses me and tends to increase bills that many people live for ages knowing that their stopcocks are seized.

One guy who works for Thames Water had no internal stopcock and the pavement one did not work!

He eventually had an access hold put into his laminate floor to access the previously hidden internal stopcock.

Only then could I fix his boiler!

Tony

 

[superstardeejay]

There are only conventional toilets here with overflows, i can isolate everything with the service valves anyhow, there's no leak in the house. As I'm not a plumber, the condition of the main stopcock is not exactly at the forefront of my day-to-day mind. Last time I used it was when I fitted service valves to a new mixer tap...and it worked then.

 

[Agile]

A stopcock is to isolate the water supply in the case of a leak etc.

Having water gushing into your loft and running through the ceilings is not a nice sight!

Even worse is the cost of the damage caused!

Many times the cost of replacing a stopcock!

Tony

 

[dhutch]

... the condition of the main stopcock is not exactly at the forefront of my day-to-day mind...

Untill you have a leak you cant isolate!
- Ive taken to operating mine proir to my summer holiday, which gives it an annuall test.


Daniel

 

[Agile]

I always advise people to close them every 2-3 months!