Ridiculous Bill - Need Advice

dunmol

theoretica said:

Are your readings in cubic meters? Just running a few numbers, it does seem more like a tap running full on than a gentle dribble, but toilets can be deceptive and leak more water than they seem to be.

Yes cubic meters. 

Cardew

Your consumption between 25 Nov and 06 May was 585 m3(585,000litres)

As a single occupant your 'normal' consumption over that period should be approx 20m3

So the excess 565m3 was used over the period 25 Nov  and 23 March(when the leak was fixed) = 119 days .

That equates to 4.75m3 a day, - 3.3 litres a minute; that isn't 'gently running'.

Also why did the reading indicate only 2m3 used in the 20 days between 05 Nov and 25 Nov? Leaking at the same rate it should have used 95m3

Hasbeen

dunmol said:

maisie_cat said:

A quick Google suggests 20 litres an hour running water from a loo, that 86 m3 for 180 days. That according to TW should result in a bill of circa £250 so yes your looks high with nearly 600 m3.
The other option are other leaks on your side of the meter or you are paying the entire block's bill.
What happens to the readings when you turn off the stopcock?
Is your flat new or a conversion? 

The latest reading from 
6th May until 23rd May were 1529-1533, which suggests all is now ok. I’m going to checking these on a regular basis for next month or so. 

What is strange is the reading prior to moving in where Aldo ok. 942 -944 over 20 days in Nov. I’m wondering if that toilet hadn’t been used in a while and the leak started when I moved in and started using it. 

If everything is ok now then I would assume it was the toilet. Charges per m3 and drainage charges etc.

Must have been a sizable leak though, even if it was quiet.

Was the water turned off before you moved in?

And ignoring the leak for 4 months did not help your bill. Pouring money down the drain as one poster suggested?

Akin to moving in to a property and the electric fire glowing and being unable to be turned off, at 1kwh? And meter spinning.

Visible things attract more attention and are repaired quickly.

My post from Thames basically was to highlight what you actually want to inform them about the "leak"

dunmol

Cardew said:

Your consumption between 25 Nov and 06 May was 585 m3(585,000litres)

As a single occupant your 'normal' consumption over that period should be approx 20m3

So the excess 565m3 was used over the period 25 Nov  and 23 March(when the leak was fixed) = 119 days .

That equates to 4.75m3 a day, - 3.3 litres a minute; that isn't 'gently running'.

Also why did the reading indicate only 2m3 used in the 20 days between 05 Nov and 25 Nov? Leaking at the same rate it should have used 95m3

Exactly. Water wasn’t off when I moved in. 

One more thing I should have mentioned is that I did have some work done on the combo boiler to replace some old parts. The plumber wasn’t fantastic and had to return several times to remedy. I don’t know the mechanics of a combo boiler but could it possibly have been continually refilling ?

keithgawler

Not clear if this was rental or purchase, but do you have any survey/collateral/contact with previous residents through estate agent which might shed some light. Doubt if this would help you claim for leakage allowance but could help to pin down the cause of the problem.

macman

dunmol said:

Cardew said:

Your consumption between 25 Nov and 06 May was 585 m3(585,000litres)

As a single occupant your 'normal' consumption over that period should be approx 20m3

So the excess 565m3 was used over the period 25 Nov  and 23 March(when the leak was fixed) = 119 days .

That equates to 4.75m3 a day, - 3.3 litres a minute; that isn't 'gently running'.

Also why did the reading indicate only 2m3 used in the 20 days between 05 Nov and 25 Nov? Leaking at the same rate it should have used 95m3

Exactly. Water wasn’t off when I moved in. 

One more thing I should have mentioned is that I did have some work done on the combo boiler to replace some old parts. The plumber wasn’t fantastic and had to return several times to remedy. I don’t know the mechanics of a combo boiler but could it possibly have been continually refilling ?

It's a combi. No, the boiler does not 'refill'. The CH circuit on a combi is a sealed and pressurised system, the same water circulates, cools via the rads and is reheated. if the pressure drops, you have to manually open the inlet valves to top it up and then close it. That uses no more than a few litres each time. If it was left open, even a fraction, then the pressure would build up and the  boiler would not function. The only water used by a combi is the water drawn off from the hot taps when opened, which comes direct from the rising main to the boiler.
Unless you have a second leak somewhere downstream of the meter, all the evidence is that this bill is a result of a WC leak left unattended for 4 months. Since you had this fixed about ten weeks ago, I suggest you check your current meter readings yourself on a weekly basis and see if the usage rate has dropped back to a more normal level?

dunmol

Leak allowance accepted and £1200 credited to my Thames water account. A valuable and potentially costly lesson learned though !