Fitting a water metre?

[Steve and Stephanie]

Our local water board (United Utilities) fitted a water meter after convincing me that we would pay less for water on a meter. There was an agreement that if it didn't then I could revert back to a standard payment option. They came out and fitted a meter at the end of my driveway and told me to enjoy cheaper water. Straight away I had problems. To cut a very long and boring story short we had them put us back onto a standard payment option. No one came out to the meter. The problems continue. I recently got talking to someone that sells central heating for a living. I told him of my water problems and he tells me that when a meter is put in the water board reduce the inflow pipe into the house which in turn reduces pressure. That is the only way a meter can be fitted. Now if this is correct it could explain a thing or two. Can someone confirm this please, so that I can go back to the water board and try and get things put as they were before this installation. Thanks

[Ian Stirling]

Could you perhaps elaborate on this? Different taste, intermittent fountains of blood coming out of taps, ...

[IMM]

A meter will restrict flow that is for certain. But it depends on the pressure and supply pipe to the house whether you are affected. If you are on mains pressure on all taps in the house and the pressure/flow drops, get them to take it out, unless they up the pressure/flow. Give them chance. If they say that is it, tell them to remove it and leave a new correctly sized stop c*ck in its place.

[Steve and Stephanie]

I don't know if our pressure is right or not. My bathroom stand alone shower which is pressure controlled (whatever that is) will not work now. Pre meter days it did. What has got me thinking is the tale of the central heating rep who was insistant that the pipe work will have been changed to narrower ones and so reducing pressure. We also have a 'knocking' noise which only appeared after the change over and dispite the water board coming out to look at it have never cured it. One thing I do know, I tried the meter for six months and it cost more money for that period than the half year cost of a none meter period. So all in all it was not a good idea to change over.

I did phone United up this afternoon, I need to conduct a scientific test. Can I fill a 2 gallon bucket in under a minute from the first cold tap in the house. Didn't know I was on its a knockout. Job for tomorrow. Thanks for the comments.

[IMM]

As a matter of course, meter or not, you should have a full bore stop c*ck. If one is not there, get one. The new installation may be disturbed slime and debris in the pipework and crap has lodged itself around the water system. Does the kitchen tap appear any different?

[troubleinstore]

I do not know your personal circumstances, but if it is costing you more with a meter than without, I can only deduce that you have a family and are therefore a large water consumer.

One day, we will all be on water meters, the sooner the better I think, that way those who use more will quite rightly pay more for the amount of water they use and retrospectively for the amount of water they waste

-- troubleinstore

mail can be sent via website. Email address in posting is ficticious and is intended as spam trap

[Steve and Stephanie]

If by full bore stopcock you mean the one that comes into the kitchen then I have one. Yes my kitchen tap is different, well the hot one anyway, its slow sending the water out. Thanks

[Steve and Stephanie]

And you sir are incapable of adult dialogue. Could I suggest that if you cannot write without swearing then you do neither.

[Neil Jones]

The people who should be on water meters are the water companies themselves. Then perhaps Thames Water, for example, would try a bit harder to reduce its leakage rate, estimated at 925 million litres per day.

Neil

[Jerry Built]

His swearing is in irregular metre.

Oh, BTW, see:

J.B.

[Jerry Built]

I wonder how that is estimated.... it's very nearly 1 cubic kilometre a day, to use units that are easy to visualise.

J.B.

[SteveS]

... but evidently not easy to calculate. It's actually nearly 0.001 cubic kilometres, or 1 million cubic metres.

Steve S

[Neil Jones]

Or to put it yet another way, it's a cube of water with sides 100m in length.

[Jerry Built]

Oh ipddel. "I must make sure I read psotings properly". "I must lay off the cider". Still, a lot of water.

J.B.

[scorch]

Nice one.

[Owain]

"Jerry Built" wrote | > 925 million litres per day. | I wonder how that is estimated.... it's very nearly 1 | cubic kilometre a day, to use units that are easy to | visualise.

I'm not sure that is easy to visualise, actually.

Could you convert it into journeys to the moon and back, football pitches, or Waleses, please. We're all familiar with those from their frequent use on television news.

Owain

[Berenice]

OH GOD NOT ANOTHER FOUL MOUTHED ILLITERATE USENET PEDANT!! STILL TRAPPED IN THE 20TH CENTURY.

Capitol

Huge wrote:

[SteveS]

Ummm... okay.

It's enough water for every Welsh woman to throw a bucketful over every Welsh man and his sheep 60 times a day.

HTH,

Steve S

[Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)]

Could I suggest a little look here? It might be of great assistance:

[RichardS]

Ye gods, tad unfriendly for a post with no smileys, don't you think?

Of course, you'll have noticed that the OP spelt it correctly in the body of the post, leading to the obvious conclusion that it was a typo rather than speeling mistake.

Having waded through and decyphered countless posts from you, the flame was a bit rich to say the least....

-- Richard Sampson

email me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk