cant read water meter

bjbyorkshire

I think we might have a water leak but we can't read the meter as it has lots of droplets of condensation on the meter where the numbers are.

I have been advised to read the meter then turn off the stop tap and wait for a couple of hours to see if the numbers have moved with the stop tap off. Is there any way we can remove this condensation or would Yorkshire water need to do it?

Thanks if anyone can help.

wobbly588

Gently tap the face of the meter and the condensation will normally clear enough for you to read it. Otherwise don't read it early morning or late afternoon when condensation is greatest

bjbyorkshire

Thanks for thatWobbly588. I rang Yorkshire water this morning and they suggested using poring warm but not hot water over the meter then waiting a few minutes for the condensation to clear. We did this and voila, we could then read the meter. We're not much wiser as to why the bill is so high this quarter though. No movement on the meter until someone either flushed the toilet or ran a tap inside then the red numbers whizzed round. They stopped after a couple of minutes and there was no further movement on the meter so it looks like there is no leak. Baffling but at least we can go read it again in a couple of weeks to see if the meter has moved a lot in a short time.

Thanks again

matelodave

Try reading it weekly for several weeks to see what your consumption pattern looks like (put into a spreadsheet) and then see what you can do to economise. Most water companies will give you flow restrictors that you can fit onto your taps or shower, they can really make a difference to the amount of water that gets wasted. It's easy to turn off the tap whilst brushing your teeth rather than just letting it run down the plughole. Only fill the kettle for as much as you need - this saves both water & electricity. Don't wash dishes or yourself under running taps - put the plug in and don't turn the tap on full. Have showers instead of baths and time yourself, see if you can get it down to 4-5 minutes.