How are water meters actually read?

chubsta

My water meter is in the grass verge outside my home - I was having a new boiler installed so decided to switch mains water off there. When I opened the cap I had to dig down through 4 inches of mud to get to the lever, so clearly the meter itself wasn't visible and probably hadn't been for years.

As I get supposedly 'accurate' water bills I was just wondering how they actually read the meter - of course it could be electronically via bluetooth etc but I can't remember any work being done on the system in the nearly 30 years I have lived here so doubt that that is possible!

Robin9

A man in a Van drives by.

Do your bills show Actual or Estimated readings ?

chubsta

Actual.

So it is remotely via electronics?

Robin9

Remotely via electronics.

sammyjammy

Bit weird that the stopcock associated with the water meter is hidden by mud though, I'd be sorting that out quickly.

mmmmikey

As well as the  electronic meters that are read by a meter reader with the correct kit, there are also smart water meters. I'm with Anglian water and my meter sends in hourly meter reads which I can see on the website and is useful for tracking and managing use. I also got an email from Anglian Water telling me I probably had a leak, and sure enough I did even though I hadn't noticed it - all made possible by the smart water meter.

I had a leak in the chamber that housed meter due to a cracked top and Anglian Water just fixed it at no cost to myself or any hassle.

matelodave

Did you check your meter reading to see if it really does reflect the readings on your bills.

Its not unknown for meter readers to guess if the meters isn't easily accessible and pass it off as being read. I always check my meter after I've received a bill to see if the meter reading is about right.

However there are meters than can be remotely read and remote adapters can be fitted to some conventional meters

That said, I usually check my meter fairly regularly anyway as we've had a couple of leaks in the underground pipes which wouldn't have been noticed until I either got a ginormous bill or the driveway had collapsed. We've since had the pipe replaced

kazwookie

A chap comes round once every 2 years here, if there is water in the meter hole, he has a plastic pump thing, (similar to one you use to pump a 5ltr bottle) he pumps it out, takes a photo, puts cover back and moves on.

I go out and read the water meter when I get the bill (twice a year) with screwdriver to get the lid up, sponge to empty out the hole, camera at the ready.  If the reading on the bill is wrong, I just submit my reading, and a new bill arrives within about half an hour or so.

QrizB

matelodave said:

Did you check your meter reading to see if it really does reflect the readings on your bills.

I was going to ask the same question!

@chubsta when you read the meter, did the reading tie in with whatever numbers were on your most recent bill?

chubsta

QrizB said:

matelodave said:

Did you check your meter reading to see if it really does reflect the readings on your bills.

I was going to ask the same question!

@chubsta when you read the meter, did the reading tie in with whatever numbers were on your most recent bill?

haven't got a recent bill but will check it out when it does arrive - the foam insert seemed to have slipped so I guess mud just naturally gets in from above as its a bit overgrown. All cleared now anyway.

Sterlingtimes

mmmmikey said:

As well as the  electronic meters that are read by a meter reader with the correct kit, there are also smart water meters. I'm with Anglian water and my meter sends in hourly meter reads which I can see on the website and is useful for tracking and managing use. I also got an email from Anglian Water telling me I probably had a leak, and sure enough I did even though I hadn't noticed it - all made possible by the smart water meter.

I had a leak in the chamber that housed meter due to a cracked top and Anglian Water just fixed it at no cost to myself or any hassle.

I also have a smart meter with Severn Trent's My Smart Tracker. A small leak in the chamber at the customer side of the meter was detected during a physical inspection, rather than by the meter. Within the house, the tiniest leaks are detected by my Leak Bot, which utilises remote monitoring by the provider. The Smart Tracker would uncover large leaks, but it is not suitable for detecting drips and similar issues.