six water questions - help please?

bundance

I live in a hard water area and I have a water meter put in last august.

I sometimes notice, when I first turn on the tap and pour a glass of water, that the water is cloudy, this cloudiness dissappears after the water has stood for about a minute. I've only noticed this since I had the water meter fitted.

1.Is this unsafe?

2. Could this be something due to the water meter?

3. If not, what else could it be due to?

3. The water authority said that if there is a leak in the service pipe, it is my responsibility to pay for that leak? As money is getting tighter, this is the reason I want to change my mind?

4. I have been told by the water aurthotity that I have a year to change my mind if I want the water meter uninstalling. Would now be a good time to tell them.?

5. The reason I got the water meter was because I could not afford to pay the water rates which were around £30 a month. I heard from someone that I can ask them for an 'assumed'/'assessed bill' which would be cheaper, is this true?

6. Would it cost me to ask the water authority to check if there is a leak in my service pipe?

Thank you very much for your help

Bundance

silvercar

1. no
2. no
3. minute bubbles of air in the water
3. If there is a leak it will need fixing, have you any evidence there is a leak? Read the meter, then make sure all the taps are turned off then read again. If the reading has changed you may have a leak.
4. They don't remove it, they just bill you according to rates (the old system). the only reason to do this would be if your bills were higher than a meter reading.
5. An assessed bill is when you ave requested a meter and they haven't been able to fit one, so they assess what you metered bill should be like.
6. Probably, though you should be able to see for yourself if the meter is measuring water when all systems are off.

27col

I endorse everything that silvercar says. I think that Portsmouth Water Co. will actually repair leaks free of charge, but I would imagine that this would only apply to the exterior pipes. Possibly other Water Co's will do the same. Anyway they haven't actually said that you have a leak,have they?. As silvercar says, it's easy enough to check for yourself. Even if you go back to not having a meter, you would still be responsible for any service pipe on your property after the Water Co, stop valve. I would never go back to an un-metered supply after being on a meter for several years. I reckon that our water costs dropped to barely a third of what they had been before.

keystone

I'm not sure why you think you have a leak. To expand on that said by silvercar and 27col the bubbles form due to the difference in temperature of the water between the main and the tap. Even at this time of year the water in the main is still quite cold. Cold water can hold more air than hot. When the cold water comes up from the main it warms up and the air escapes (for want of a better word) forming the tiny little bubbles that make the water look cloudy until the bubbles disperse. Its quite comon ans I wouldn't worry about it.

Cheers.

bundance

silvercar wrote: »

1. no
2. no
3. minute bubbles of air in the water
3. If there is a leak it will need fixing, have you any evidence there is a leak? Read the meter, then make sure all the taps are turned off then read again. If the reading has changed you may have a leak.
4. They don't remove it, they just bill you according to rates (the old system). the only reason to do this would be if your bills were higher than a meter reading.
5. An assessed bill is when you ave requested a meter and they haven't been able to fit one, so they assess what you metered bill should be like.
6. Probably, though you should be able to see for yourself if the meter is measuring water when all systems are off.

thank you silvercar

I will read the meter tomorrow as it is too dark now, been out today.

I pay £14 a month direct debit, and only had £5 credit in April. I hardly use any water, and this seems expensive for a single occupant.

If I change my mind about using a water meter, would I have to pay the old rates, (£40 a month, not £30 as I said in my first post) or will they be able to send me an assessed bill instead?


27col

Even if you go back to not having a meter, you would still be responsible for any service pipe on your property after the Water Co, stop valve.

Is the water co's stop valve in the same place as the water meter.
My water company said they would make me pay for water leakage in the pipe leading from my meter to my flat.

Keystone
Thank you for your reassurance.

I'm not sure why you think you have a leak. To expand on that said by silvercar and 27col the bubbles form due to the difference in temperature of the water between the main and the tap. Even at this time of year the water in the main is still quite cold. Cold water can hold more air than hot. When the cold water comes up from the main it warms up and the air escapes (for want of a better word) forming the tiny little bubbles that make the water look cloudy until the bubbles disperse. Its quite comon ans I wouldn't worry about it.

I feel like £14 a month is too expensive for the water I am using.



Cheers all

noh

I feel like £14 a month is too expensive for the water I am using.

£14 a month is about right for a single occupant. Mine is about £18.

Anyway £14 is considerably less than the £40 a month you would be paying if you were not metered.

dander

What's the actual problem with the money you're paying - have you had a meter reading that you feel is inaccurate, or do you just think your direct debit is set at too high a level?

If you are a single occupant nad a low user of water, there is no cheaper way of being charged that being on a meter. Even if they send you an assessed bill, they will overestimate your usage and you'll end up paying more. I am also a single occupant of my home and every time they estimate my bill because they haven't had a meter reading, they estimate my water usage being at least twice what it really has been.

You need to also remember that the water bill includes various other charges as well as your actual water usage - there will be a standing charge and charge for sewage as well as the charges for the actual water you use. It's quite possible that the standing charge is more than the actual usage charges.

keith969

keystone wrote: »

I'm not sure why you think you have a leak. To expand on that said by silvercar and 27col the bubbles form due to the difference in temperature of the water between the main and the tap. Even at this time of year the water in the main is still quite cold. Cold water can hold more air than hot. When the cold water comes up from the main it warms up and the air escapes (for want of a better word) forming the tiny little bubbles that make the water look cloudy until the bubbles disperse. Its quite comon ans I wouldn't worry about it.

Cheers.

Actually its more because the water is under pressure until it reaches your tap. On leaving the tap the water pressure reduces to atmospheric, and bubbles form in just the same way as when you open a fizzy drink.

silvercar

bundance wrote: »

thank you silvercar

I will read the meter tomorrow as it is too dark now, been out today.

I pay £14 a month direct debit, and only had £5 credit in April. I hardly use any water, and this seems expensive for a single occupant.

If I change my mind about using a water meter, would I have to pay the old rates, (£40 a month, not £30 as I said in my first post) or will they be able to send me an assessed bill instead?


27col



Is the water co's stop valve in the same place as the water meter.
My water company said they would make me pay for water leakage in the pipe leading from my meter to my flat.

Keystone
Thank you for your reassurance.



I feel like £14 a month is too expensive for the water I am using.



Cheers all

If you change your mind, you would pay the old rates. An assessed bill is only for people who requested a meter and then the water company find they cannot fit one (eg a shared supply line into a block of flats).

The water meter is usually right next to the stop !!!!.

bundance

Thanks for all of your help on this thread. Sorry I am late in replying.