Water Meter

[Mr T]

Hi
We had a water meter installed in May. It was fitted right next to our internal stop cock. When I wanted to turn the water off last weekend the stop cock didn't work (the first time I had tried it since the installation)

I have contacted Yorkshire Water but they are giving me the run around, saying that the internal stop cock is not their responsibility. I seems to me a big coincidence that it has failed at the same tme as the were working right next to it.

Has anyone had a similar problem with a utility company and how did they sort it?

Chris

 

[OLD]

There is usually a stopcock external to property to isolate your supply so that the valve can be serviced/replaced they some times get stiff. Bit of work with the gass pliers gets them to shut off.

 

[Rich]

Good evening Old, why have they installed the meter internally, it normally goes on the discharge side of the external stopcock, so that they can read it without disturbing you?

mystified,
Rich.

 

[Mr T]

Hi

The supply comes into the cellar below ground level, from a stop cock in the back yard, there is an internal stop tap at the piont of entry, this is the one which is not working. The meter is fitted immediately above the tap.

Interestingly the supply branches when it enters the cellar, one pipe is our supply, the other goes to next door. There is also a tap on next doors pipe, so I can turn off their supply if we ever fall out!

Chris

 

[Rich]

Sorry Chris, mix up with names, my apologies, anyway, down here in Reading under Thames water authority, out side of my front gate is a stopcock and meter, this is their property and responsibility to maintain, anything on the inside of my gate is my property and my resposibility to maintain, surely there must be some external shut off device outside of your dwelling which is the resposibility of the local water board to maintain and it is here you should find the meter fitted, are you also saying that your neighbours water supply comes through your dwelling?

Rich.

 

[Karl]

I don't think it is that uncommon for water meters to be fitted internally - mine is, and I quite regularly come across internal meters when installing kitchens for customers.

Chris - I think you may be peeing in the wind - the pipework after the meter is your responsibility. Annoying, I know, but the water co's are a law unto themselves.

Cheers

Karl

 

[Digit]

Come to sunny west Wales! You won't need a meter!

Roy.

 

[Rich]

Sorry mate, but the last time I was there, we needed a moisture meter. :lol: :lol:

Rich.

 

[Digit]

One or two gallon size? :lol: :lol:

Roy.

 

[RogerS]

Hi
We had a water meter installed in May. It was fitted right next to our internal stop cock. When I wanted to turn the water off last weekend the stop cock didn't work (the first time I had tried it since the installation)

I have contacted Yorkshire Water but they are giving me the run around, saying that the internal stop cock is not their responsibility. I seems to me a big coincidence that it has failed at the same tme as the were working right next to it.

Has anyone had a similar problem with a utility company and how did they sort it?

Chris

Chris - not sure of the sequence.

(a) Is it supply pipe, your internal (non-functioning) stopcock, water meter, internal pipe to the house and your neighbour?

or

(b) Is it supply pipe, water meter, your internal (non-functioning) stopcock, internal pipe to the house and your neighbour?

If it is (a) then my understanding is that it is their responsibility.

As an aside stopcocks should never be left in the fully open position but backed off half a turn.

Roger

 

[Davon]

Hi, I applied to have a water meter fitted but I'm still waiting to hear from them.....when I looked into getting one I figured I should be able to save minimum £130 a year...probably why I haven't heard from them. Did anyone else have a problem when switching?

Davon

 

[ronhayles]

you say the stop cock did not work...How?? did it not turn at all or did it turn and not stop the flow of water.. ideally..Stop puffins should be turned on and off at least twice each year to stop it from gunging up, particularly if you are in a hard water area. If you can isolate the water from outside the property it should be a simple job to replace...just check the make of the stop cock as there are several different threads depending on the compression joint. You need to ensure that the replacement will fit straight back on. a ten minuite job for a good handyman..provided you have the right spanners!!!

 

[Mr T]

Hi Davon

Our meter was fitted in May and so far it seems that our bill will be about the same as before. We are a family of three, don't water the garden and don't have a dish washer. So anyone more than a single person or couple need to be pretty frugal to save any money on a meter.

I did hear a rumour on R4 that the utilities are thinking of putting the rates up as they are not making any money on metering!

Chris

PS The tap turns but does not stop the water, it looks like I am going to have replace it myself.

 

[RogerS]

Hi Davon

Our meter was fitted in May and so far it seems that our bill will be about the same as before. We are a family of three, don't water the garden and don't have a dish washer. So anyone more than a single person or couple need to be pretty frugal to save any money on a meter.

I did hear a rumour on R4 that the utilities are thinking of putting the rates up as they are not making any money on metering!

Chris

PS The tap turns but does not stop the water, it looks like I am going to have replace it myself.

If it's an oldish stopcock then there 'may' be a simpler solution ...if you can find a replacement part. It all depends if you can remove the valve body or not. Modern stopcocks and gatevalves seem to be machine tightened and virtually impossible to undo by hand. Older stopcocks are easier. It may be that they dismantled it (for whatever reason) and that the small gubbins (the sort of disc/spindle/rubber thingie) that screws down to stop the water flow has dropped out and got lost. If you can get a spare then unscrew the valve body, replace the missing bit and there you go (don't try this before turning off at the external stopcock first :wink: )

:idea: They didn't remove and then replace the stopcock the wrong way round, by any chance? There should be an arrow on the body indicating flow.

 

[Davon]

Thanks Chris, we are a family of two with a daughter at Uni, don't know if she'll be back to stay yet but probably will..maybe in light of what you say it may be best to sit tight and see if the water co get in touch, although I beleive you have a year during which time you can have the meter removed free of charge

Davon

 

[Rich]

Or you can always do as I did and install a single action lever valve above it and forget about the stopcock, the lever valves are self cleaning every time you operate them, which I do on a quarterly basis and they shut off so quick in an emergency.

Regards,
Rich.

 

[jamespipers]

They should installed it in external stopcock so that you can’t feel any disturbance if they are doing something to it. In the external line, there should be a main switch after the water meter. It is the common setup here in our place.

 

[Dibs-h]

Thanks Chris, we are a family of two with a daughter at Uni, don't know if she'll be back to stay yet but probably will..maybe in light of what you say it may be best to sit tight and see if the water co get in touch, although I beleive you have a year during which time you can have the meter removed free of charge

Davon

You can't have it removed - they just change your billing back to the original rates based version. The subsequent purchaser has no choice but to go on the meter.

Our water rates are somewhere in the region of £650 so we'll be looking into having one fitted at some point. But I'll be fitting one myself internally to get an idea before I bother Yorkshire Water tho.

HIH

Dibs

 

[Davon]

Hi, just an update, I've had my meter for just over a year now and I figure
I've saved around £150


That's on a bill of £558

 

[Dibs-h]

I might just look into the possibility\feasibility of sinking a borehole in the back garden. Water rates\costs aren't ever going to go down.