Reading the meter

HH62

Not so daft as it sounds..I have just had my first quarterly water bill and am horrified by the amount of water it says I have used. 40m3 in 3 months. I live alone, take a daily shower but rarely have a bath, dont leave the tap running etc.

Just phoned my water supplier, and they were very helpful. The girl said I am using a lot more water than they would expect a single person to use, and gave me advice on how to check if there is a water leak. This involves reading the meter, of course. So I went to look at it, armed with a torch, but its so dirty and so far down the hole it is impossible to read.
Will it be ok if I give it a wash over with some hot water? My arm isnt long enough to reach the meter itself, so I may have to tip a jug of water over it. But will it cause damage?
Thanks..

deanos

What water co. are you with ?

HH62

I'm with United Utilities. They were very helpful on the phone today.

deanos

Just looked on the UL website and they use ABB Kent meters.

Best way to clean then is to use a paintbrush on the end of a stick give it a wipe if that dosent clear it enough then squirt it with water , then wipe and squirt again

Water wont harm the meter at all

HH62

That's a great suggestion will try it tomorrow. Now, I've just been reading some other horror stories about meters here, and someone mentioned they have been paying for another flats water...wonder if that is the problem with mine and how would I find out?
I'm also thinking I may be paying for someone else's leccy too..as that is sky high..but that is another story, on another thread!

deanos

HH62 wrote:

That's a great suggestion will try it tomorrow. Now, I've just been reading some other horror stories about meters here, and someone mentioned they have been paying for another flats water...wonder if that is the problem with mine and how would I find out?
I'm also thinking I may be paying for someone else's leccy too..as that is sky high..but that is another story, on another thread!

Best way is to turn your cold water on and look at the what is meant to be your meter to see if its spinning, also check the MSN (meter serial number) against the meter and your bill.

deanos

Wrighty's_utilities wrote:

Have you heard of the Utility Warehouse Discount Club?

Referals are not allowed unless in the referal forum http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=42

deanos

That relies on everybody being in there flat at the same time tho to turn on there taps, its not just a case or relabeling the meters if they are wrong the water company will have to come out and check the supplies and change the serial numbers that correspond to each person on the system and reajust the bills by taking check reads

HH62

Right, well I've managed to read the meter and my reading is 10 units below their alleged "Actual" reading. So I have used 30m3 in 3 months. According to what the very helpful girl told me on the phone, that is still quite heavy usage for a single person. My flat has the water saving flush loos and so on.
I'll check for a possible leak later in the week.