Any inventors/engineers on here?

[ClichéGuevara]

I invented a time machine but it broke down. I cannot get back to 1953.

To be fair, it's only 2112 now, is that hour and ten minutes all that important?

 

[screenman]

Does the chairman of the water company know? That is the way forward.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Does the chairman of the water company know? That is the way forward.

Funnily enough, I've just googled to get his email and phone number.

It's an issue that's dragged on, due to fob offs and promises, and I've not really got involved, as my mam's more than capable, and my sister's been helping, so I get irregular updates. I think it's reached the point where I'll have a chat.

 

[Drago]

How long has your Ma had the meter? There's a cooling off period (a year perhaps, not sure?) where the punter has the right to go back to water rates.

My other thought - if the meter is in the next street, if there is a leak then how do they know that the leak isn't beyond you Mater's boundary?

 

[classic33]

Cheers. I'll ponder to see if there's a way of getting that to count the amplitude. I suspect an issue could be the potential for it to pick up the vibration from the flow of water that is going 'elsewhere'.


I was thinking I could take the spindle and washer from an old stopcock, and replace the washer with some form of wheel with a counter.

How much access to the pipes have you?

If you were to move the piece to various points, you'd be able to see if there was any water flow.
FCS-01

 

[swansonj]

May I be the first to say.... have you considered dowsing?

 

[ClichéGuevara]

May I be the first to say.... have you considered dowsing?

I think one of the plumbers tried that. The amount they're talking of, a check of the meter and a listening stick on the pipe confirms there's a reading, but no flow in my mam's. Try convincing the water board though.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

How much access to the pipes have you?

Virtually none without a hammer and chisel, but I'm quite happy to bash holes if it resolves it.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

How long has your Ma had the meter? There's a cooling off period (a year perhaps, not sure?) where the punter has the right to go back to water rates.

My other thought - if the meter is in the next street, if there is a leak then how do they know that the leak isn't beyond you Mater's boundary?

Long past. She only noticed it when someone commented on their bill, and she checked hers.

They don't know the leak is beyond her boundary. They have no idea at all where it's going. The likelihood is, it's out of someone else's tap.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I can't help thinking that there's either a non-intrusive gismo that can detect water flow, or some mechanical doofer I can put in place of the head gear/spindle, that could then measure, or at least detect a flow into her house.

It wouldn't be impossible to tap a hole on the lead and insert something I'd guess, but it's an oldish house and I don't think she'd want the upheaval if my wipe joint skills are rusty and it needed new pipes when I'd done, plus it'd be me that had it to do.

Any suggestions?

There are such things you can clamp around the pipes, but they are expensive even to hire.

 

[screenman]

My water bill has gone down to about £700 a year.

 

[colly]

If they think someone is getting free water then it's up to them to find out who and sort it PDQ I would take the view that anything over what a normal one or two person household uses means your mum has been over charged. Maybe for years.

That sort of thing is not uncommon. We had a meter fitted donkeys years ago when we paid water rates as a percentage of your council rates. We actually paid them to install it in the path outside. Job done and I had a look. Very neat but................the meter wasn't clicking over. Made a note of the numbers (close to zero anyway) Check again a few days later and ...............the number was the same.
So a decision had to be made, free water, or get them back. Well I knew the free water option would eventually come back to bite me so I called the water board.
''No, no you must be reading it wrong sunshine, it's the black and red numbers on the dial'' After a bit of argy-bargy it was agreed a 'bloke' would call round.
Two weeks passed and said 'bloke' turned up. Much scratching of head, taps on and off, calls from the house phone. Another vist by about 5 'blokes' all stood around and looked at the non functioning meter muttering. Two weeks further on a crew turned up and dug up the path again.

It seems they had put the meter on a disconnected pipe. The live one to our house was about 18'' to one side. So they fixed the meter onto that instead.

Years later whilst refitting the kitchen I found a cut off gas pipe in the corner of an old cupboard. Plugged with an old rubber hot water bottle cap.
Took it out and sure enough it was still 'live'
The gas board obviously thought I was an idiot but did send someone round 'just in case'. Once he tested it there was an almighty panic to get the pipe capped off and to discover how it could still be connected.
The drive was dug up, as was next doors and the pipe was being fed from next doors mains feed. Who disconnected it in the cupboard in our house and stuck a rubber stopper in it is anybody's guess.
But I keep thinking of all the years of free central heating we could have had if only I had kept schtum.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

My water bill has gone down to about £700 a year.

Do you live near my mam?

 

[screenman]

Do you live near my mam?

No all 3 kids have moved out.

 

[classic33]

Funnily enough, I've just googled to get his email and phone number.

It's an issue that's dragged on, due to fob offs and promises, and I've not really got involved, as my mam's more than capable, and my sister's been helping, so I get irregular updates. I think it's reached the point where I'll have a chat.

If it's the same company, there's two not far from me.