Do water meters expire?

Last year Severn Trent Water wanted to replace my existing Smart Meter on the grounds the meter was coming to the end of its life. Unfortunately, the date the contractor was available to install the new meter didn't tally with mine as I was away from home for several weeks at a time last year. So the meter was not changed and I had no other communication from STW.

Have browsed the SW website but could not find relevant info to my query. Would anyone out there know if Smart water meters go rogue as they age? :) Don't want incorrect meter readings.
Thanks.

Comments

  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,056 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    'Smart' water meters are simply normal water meters with a facility to enable them to be read remotely(i.e. from outside the property) by a meter reader.
  • brewerdave
    brewerdave Posts: 8,653 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Don't know about expiration.....but we are on our 4th meter in just over 6 years! The first one was installed the wrong way round (so ran backwards), the next two just stopped recording any usage.Hoping for 4th time lucky!
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    STW don't fit smart meters. My original meter was swapped for a radio read meter about 5 years ago. STW van has been seen stopping suddenly outside the house then driving away, presumably reading the meter. An immediate neighbour still has his manual read meter which presumably gets a visit to read. Odd system.
  • deanos
    deanos Posts: 11,239 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Uniform Washer
    they are run off a battery so do need replacing, 10 years is the expected lifespan if i recall correctly
  • Thank you for all your replies. I called it a SmartMeter because that is what is printed on the device so my mistake. There is also "04/2017" stamped on it. Bearing in mind what Deanos has said I'm guessing this is probably the date for replacement.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 349.8K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.6K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453K Spending & Discounts
  • 242.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 619.5K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.4K Life & Family
  • 255.7K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.