Water leak- but where?

Numberlock

Dear All,

I have a water meter consisting of a row of 8 numbers - the first four are black, the last four are red. The water meter is under my sink and today I noticed that the very last number was moving very slowly even though no water was being used anywhere in the house (I live alone).

I turned off the stoptap which is next to the meter under my sink and the figure stopped moving. So, does this mean I have a leak and that it is definitely coming from my internal pipes and not from an external pipe?

I've checked United Utilities website and read about their 'private leak repair scheme'. It states that they will send someone out within 4 days to check where the source of the leak is - there's no mention of a call-out charge so is this a free service at this point?

Thanks for any info/advice.

macman

Yes, the leak must be downstream of the meter. The pipework from the meter on is your responsibility,
Since the meter is within the house, the leak must be also, so a plumber should be able to locate it easily enough-it's not going to be concealed underground.
Have you checked your WC-is water running through the pan due to a faulty valve, or the overflow running?

deanos

Anything inside the property wont be touched by the water company unless its leaking at the meter , you need a plumber.

Do you have a dual flush toilet by any chance as these are the culprit alot of the time and as they don't have a overflow hard to spot, place some tissue at the back of the toilet and see if it gets wet

Numberlock

macman wrote: »

Yes, the leak must be downstream of the meter. The pipework from the meter on is your responsibility,
Since the meter is within the house, the leak must be also, so a plumber should be able to locate it easily enough-it's not going to be concealed underground.
Have you checked your WC-is water running through the pan due to a faulty valve, or the overflow running?

Thanks for the info, Macman. In answer to your question, I checked the loos by putting a few drops of food colouring in the toilet tanks and waiting to see if the colouring showed up in the bowls but, unfortunately, there was a no show.

BTW, I have checked all my pipes which are visible and I can't see any leak or water patch so do you know how a plumber would locate a hidden leak - I've been reading some horror stories about plumbers having to knock thru walls etc!!

macman

More likely that the leak is under a floor or floorboard then. But they will do whatever is necessary to gain access-you can't just ignore it, unless you want long term damage.

r197t

Hi numberlock

As already mentioned - yes the leak will be after the meter, so water is going somewhere in the house I'm afraid .

As already suggested, ensure that the toilet cistern is not constantly filling due to water leaking into toilet, ensure all taps are not dripping etc.

The bad news I'm afraid is that UU do not take responsibility for any pipework within your property boundary (usually from front gate to end of garden, so you will be responsible for the leak. Also, you are also responsible for any water that passes through the meter. If the burst was outwith the prop boundary (which it is not), then you could have this subtracted from the bill by completing a burst claim allowance form.

HTH!

deanos

r197t wrote: »

Hi numberlock

As already mentioned - yes the leak will be after the meter, so water is going somewhere in the house I'm afraid .

As already suggested, ensure that the toilet cistern is not constantly filling due to water leaking into toilet, ensure all taps are not dripping etc.

The bad news I'm afraid is that UU do not take responsibility for any pipework within your property boundary (usually from front gate to end of garden, so you will be responsible for the leak. Also, you are also responsible for any water that passes through the meter. If the burst was outwith the prop boundary (which it is not), then you could have this subtracted from the bill by completing a burst claim allowance form.

HTH!

Even if its an internal leak you may be entitled to a leakage allowance, round here you can claim for an internal leak,not sure if the OFWAT rules changed recently