Water Audit and Flow Control

mah14681

United Utilities installed water meters to the properties on our street last year offering to, continue to bill as usual, giving us a comparison allowing us to choose how we're billed. A week later we filled an overground pool with approx 3,200l water and our first bill stated we're using more water than a household of twelve people.

A few months ago we were contacted by UU as we'd been flagged with excessive water use. We explained the pool but they insisted on a water audit. They came round whilst I was at work, my wife told me they just put some toilet paper on the back of the toilets to test for leaks, one of which I confirmed was leaking that evening, the other wasn't. I ordered flow restrictors to fit to the washing machine, dishwasher, toilets, WC sinks and shower but within two days they'd already returned and fitted a flow rate regulator to the new meter. Now our shower will not work if you even look at a tap, the boiler diaphragm is getting worn out with low pressure and it will probably take a day to fill the bath (we rarely run baths but, hopefully you get the point).

I removed all the restrictors I'd installed which made no difference. I've since replaced both toilet flush valves with new WRAS approved valves. There are five occupants here, four adults and one child at secondary school. My son is a plasterer and washes his clothes regularly, using the hose to clean tools when he gets home.

We agreed to another water audit. He didn't want to come into the property and confirmed at the meter there were no leaks on the property. He also informed me United Utilities hadn't updated their data to show five occupants, so we were flagged because they still showed three despite stating on occasions when asked that, there are five. He said he couldn't remove the flow regulator then because he didn't have an appropriate meter key but would inform United Utilities that it was affecting us and it should be removed. It's been a few months with this flow control device and all we get from UU is a call from a lovely lady who is just following up on the complaint but, nothing gets done.

Where can I go from here?

mah14681

Did a quick calc on the water flow at our property and it's between 10lpm and 11lpm. Sucks to be a victim of private local monopolies who couldn't give a crap!

MattMattMattUK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82046875#Comment_82046875

UK domestic suppliers are required to be >9 litres per minute at 0.7 bar at the external stop tap/property boundary/water meter exit. What you can get from internal taps can be a bit lower, but from a mains connected tap it should be comparable. If the property is old and the pipes have not been replaced for 50+ years that can easily reduce internal flow significantly.

MattMattMattUK

You can submit a complaint and then they will follow a process, but as the flow is over the statutory minimum they are not actually required to remove the flow restrictor, although they may do to get you out of their hair.