Water meters

[Dave]

We have applied to have a water meter and have got an appointment for an inspection.

Our water comes under a piece of tarmac that forms a shared area for access to 5 houses and our tap is just off our property in this shared area.

Thw water then runs undergound and comes out up what would be our external wall, if it wasn't for the fact that we have an out building, if that is the right way to describe it, that was built to house a meter cupbord, a bin cuipboard and an L shaped shed that goes round the back of the cupboards. The hose shut off valve is in this shed.

Now to my question.

Where would you think they would want to put the meter? It they wanted to put it in the shed, they wouldn't get access to read it. They could fit it after the external shut off valve, but I would not like to have to pay for any water that leaks from the tap to the house shut off valve. Even though I believe I am responsible for any leaked water

Do you think I could get them to run the supply into our meter cupboad and then fit a meter in there?

Dave

[Frank Erskine]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:51:44 +0100, Dave had this to say:

I had a water meter fitted a few years ago and it was put in the house 'under the kitchen sink' next to the internal stoptap. They then fitted an 'outreader' on an outside wall in the back garden so they don't have to gain access to the house (I do have to leave the side gate unlocked, unfortunately).

[neverwas]

That was also the practice of Thames Water and what we had done. But they no longer do so because the remote reading pads they used are unreliable and are no longer made. They also have trouble sourcing the hand-held readers. And the meter readers often leave the readers at home because they are heavy. So Thames are no fitting meters externally wherever possible - usually where the stopcock is located. The OP's supplier may of course have a different practice (and yours may have a source of better gear).

[Jules]

We had one here in the US at our last place - although the meter had a dial readout, it also had a wire pair running to a sensor on the outside of the house; once in a while the water company would just read it via the external sensor.

Always wondered how it worked - there was no power to the meter itself, so presumably nothing in the way of smarts in the meter.

cheers

Jules

[Roger Mills]

They will fit it wherever it takes the least effort to do so - which may be in your shed. Don't worry about access for reading it - they can connect it with a bit of wire to a device (looks like a 2" or thereabouts plastic disc - don't know how it works!) on an external wall - and they can get a reading by waving their equipment at this disc.

A neighbour of mine had a meter fitted a few years ago, and they dug up the road and fitted it in place of the external stop-tap. The alternative would have been under the kitchen sink - which was rather cramped, so they didn't fancy that - preferring to dig up the road. But I suspect that that was relatively unusual.

I don't know which area you live in, but Severn Trent have a FAQ about water meters at

Other water companies probably have something similar.

[Frank Erskine]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:51:27 -0500, Jules had this to say:

My 'outreader' does apparently have a battery (lithium I believe) which I was told should last seven or eight years.

[Frank Erskine]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:45:21 GMT, "neverwas" had this to say:

This one just gives a simple lc display so the meter reader needs nothing more than a notebook and a pencil.

[Dave]

****

That should have read 'house' :-(

That sounds OK, they can fit the out reader in the meter cupboard then.

Many thanks for the input.

Dave

[Dave Liquorice]

Wouldn't need much power. The flow of water and small turbine would generate enough. The reader could induce power via the remote pickup to enable the meter to be read.

[Frank Erskine]

On Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:30:07 +0100, Dave had this to say:

I suppose that depends on your local water company. My meter was fitted by a company ("Kemac Services Ltd") wholly owned by my water company, Northumbrian Water Ltd, together with Essex & Suffolk Water. If you can arrange a (probably 2-wire) connection from the proposed meter to your meter cupboard there shouldn't be a problem (so long as they have a key for the meter cupboard!). My connection was more or less straight through the wall (although the guy's SDS drill battery was flat! - he used the holes in an airbrick to route his wire).

I think the "beauty" of my meter installation was that there was little alteration to the plumbing, with less chance of freezing of newly-external pipes. And of course, technically the feed pipe (from the external stoptap to the meter) becomes the responsibility of the water company as far as leaks are concerned... you are only being charged from the meter onwards :-)

Water-wise, anyway...

[jake]

Water meters are evil.

The ecological cost of fitting these pointlesss device is outrageous. Having said that I support the right of anyone who wants one to have one BUT (in my world) at THEIR request and true cost and NOT the water companies insistence.

A million reasons - for starters The cost (in energy and materials) of making the damn things The cost (in energy and materials) of fitting the damn things The cost (in energy and materials) of repairing the damn things The cost in increase in disease infection and infestation when people stop washing the dishes, the drains and themselves - and the will when the price is right! The water flow through the sewers will fall as peole will not flsh the loo when they should.

If you think all this is wrong, calculate (estimate) the cost (in kWh) to do the above.

many many many other reasons.

Of course, as I said some will want them because they seek to pay less than everyone else. There are always people like this. But when the overall social good is at stake, water meters are a curse.

The water companies will INCREASE the price once enough people are hooked. The shareholders will win and YOU will lose. For G's sake learn will you.

ps upper case meant for emphasis not shouting in this post.

Thank you have a nice day.

[Scott M]

Yes, terrible things that mean we pay about a quarter of what the rates would be (and without ever having changed usage patterns.)

The only people who object to meters are those who spend their days p'ing the stuff up the walls.

[mogga]

Water company needs to make profits at level A to be happy. People all change to water meters and profits drop. Company unhappy. Therefore all charges put up. Water meter customers then unhappy.

[The Medway Handyman]

They do save water though. My sister in law had one fitted & only then realised that both toilets were in permanent overflow 24/7 for heaven knows how long. New ball valves fitted must save thousands of litres of water.

[Phil L]

I had one installed about 3 months ago, it's just over the stoptap where the main exits the ground.

They read it remotely by driving past - it has bluetooth capability.

[Roger Mills]

There is at least some truth in that!

Hopefully, though, the planet will benefit - from an overall drop in water useage. [Energy spent refining and pumping it, etc. - and possibily a reduction in the need to create and install additional intrastructure].

[Dave]

From conversations today, it looks like they will dig a hole on the access road and fit the meter there.

Dave

[F]

I fitted ours in the kitchen next to the stop tap. That way any leaks outside are their problem not mine.

[F]

Unless, like us, they use less than the average.

[<me9]

That's all they'll do here these days. We nearly got a meter when next door requested one. We noticed the water off and questioned the installer. Our stop tap was nearer next door than theirs.