meter fogged up and unreadable

LindaSecker54

Hi there, we moved in last November and have been unable to read our water meter. The hole it is in on the pavement is always full of water. We were advised by someone at UU to empty and mop it out then monitor it in case there is a leak. It seems to be filling with rainwater from off the pavement but we can't be sure. It is an utter b******e to empty and mop the thing out. The main thing though is that we cannot READ the meter because the dial is fogged up. SO. We got our first bill in march, 182l per day. This was higher than our old house, but there are old taps and toilets at this one, so…. now we've just had another bill, 283l per day. Since we are very careful with water, we don't think this is right. But we can't check our usage because we can't read the meter. UU are not interested, simply saying 'it was a hot summer'. but since we didn't shower any more, flush the toilet any extra, or water the garden, we are a bit worried. They said we need to get our own plumber to have a look at it, but what should we be looking for? We've not had the 'you are using a continuous amount of water' message, so we don't think it could be leaky toilets. There were no huge puddles of water (it would be 16 cubic metres of water extra) noticeable back in the dry weather. I assume the meter is a smart meter so they are reading it electronically. The previous owners were still on the standard bill, not metered. Any advice people?

QrizB

The hole it is in on the pavement is always full of water.

This is quite common. At my last house and this one I've always had to take a sponge with me to bail out the chamber before I can read my water meter. My son's last place was the same.

The main thing though is that we cannot READ the meter because the dial is fogged up.

That's unusual, though. Usually the meter housing is watertight and moisture can't get into it.

Do you have a photo you can share?

Any advice people?

Is this a smart meter, which UU can read remotely? If so, the readings are likely to be accurate.

LindaSecker54

Hi QrizB I've attached a photo. We assume it's a smart meter, it looks new

QrizB

Yes, that's a smart meter.

There's a hinge to the left of the meter in your photo. Does the translucent plastic bit lift up around that hinge to let you read the meter underneath it?

Edit: see the illustrations here:

https://www.diehl.com/cms/files/IZAR-RCi-Waterbox---Installation-guide.pdf