Water meter locations

[Goochie]

At all of our previous houses we're had a water meter and ended up paying less each month than we do at the moment (same size house). With this in mind, I've decided to have a water meter fitted, especially as you can have it removed within a year if it doesnt' work out cheaper.

Previously our meters have been fitted in the pavement on the mater stop-tap. But I recently went round a house where it was in a kitchen cupboard.

Where are they likley to fit ours? I dont really want it inside the house as the supply comes in via the floor in the utility room, right infront of a nicely tiled wall and a load of exposed pipework that I spent days re-routing so that it looled right!

[andy43]

Our house is 1970's and the chances of finding the stoptap outside were zero - our meter's under the sink next to the internal stoptap. On an older house that may be the only option.

[Goochie]

I know where the outside stop tap is, but its under an older style small diameter "manhole" in the pavement. To fit one it there would involve digging up the pavement and fitting a larger inspection cover etc.

I guess that means it'll be in the house

What does yours look like? Is it reasonably tidy?

[robinhood21]

Goochie said:

I know where the outside stop tap is, but its under an older style small diameter "manhole" in the pavement. To fit one it there would involve digging up the pavement and fitting a larger inspection cover etc.

That's exactly what they did when I had my meter installed. They dug up and installed the meter. Then filled in the hole with some sort of Macadam as a finish surface. Then at a later date, came back (new crew) and cut and fit a new paving-slab around the new cover.

[andy43]

Goochie said:

I know where the outside stop tap is, but its under an older style small diameter "manhole" in the pavement. To fit one it there would involve digging up the pavement and fitting a larger inspection cover etc.

I guess that means it'll be in the house

What does yours look like? Is it reasonably tidy?

Put it this way - the fitters are most likely employed with regard to number of meters fitted per day, not neatness. Pipe comes up thu cupboard, then he's chopped out about 9" of pipe and fitted two elbows to position meter to the side of the original pipe. Tidy it isn't. But no leaks, and it's only inside a cupboard - they may be neater and tidier when they know their work will be on show. Not what you wanted to hear really

[netherfield]

Get it outside,then it can be read without access to your house.

[Hedders]

Goochie said:

With this in mind, I've decided to have a water meter fitted, especially as you can have it removed within a year if it doesnt' work out cheaper.

I have a hard time believing that the water company will do that without it costing you money!

[Goochie]

Hedders said:

Goochie said:

With this in mind, I've decided to have a water meter fitted, especially as you can have it removed within a year if it doesnt' work out cheaper.

I have a hard time believing that the water company will do that without it costing you money!

All water companies have an agreement with the regulator that they have to remove the meter if you're not happy within the first 12 months.

[Hedders]

Goochie said:

Hedders said:

Goochie said:

With this in mind, I've decided to have a water meter fitted, especially as you can have it removed within a year if it doesnt' work out cheaper.

I have a hard time believing that the water company will do that without it costing you money!

All water companies have an agreement with the regulator that they have to remove the meter if you're not happy within the first 12 months.

And they don't charge for fitting or removal?

[Wings]

Since a water meter will cover all water used, OR LEAKED in the process of getting into the house, then the nearer the house the meter is, then the less chance of incurring an exorbitant bill through a leak near the outside pavement.

Edited by Wings on Wednesday 31st March 15:52

[Hedders]

Wings said:

Since a water metre will cover all water used, OR LEAKED in the process of getting into the house, then the nearer the house the metre is, then the less chance of incurring an exorbitant bill through a leak near the outside pavement.

For sure

[Deva Link]

I applied for one the other day and the contractor that fits them for the water company rang within a couple of days to come round and survey and fit if possible.

Several of my neighbours have had them fitted over the last couple of years (some quite recently) and all are in the footpath where the stop-cock is.

They guy who came to our house dismissed this out of hand and said they only fit them inside now, and he wanted to tear apart our recently refurbed downstairs bathroom to fit it.

As soon as I said "errr...you're not doing that" he was off! I expected a discussion about where it could go, but he wasn't having any of it.

Now I've had chance to give it some thought, I think it could be fitted there, but would need a bit of co-operation from the fitter. One advantage (apart from not metering leaks already mentioned) is that it might present an opportunity to connect the garage tap before the meter....

Edited by Deva Link on Wednesday 31st March 15:57

[Goochie]

Deva Link said:

One advantage (apart from not metering leaks already mentioned) is that it might present an opportunity to connect the garage tap before the meter....

Edited by Deva Link on Wednesday 31st March 15:57

Surely they're not going to be that stupid?

[Deva Link]

Goochie said:

Deva Link said:

One advantage (apart from not metering leaks already mentioned) is that it might present an opportunity to connect the garage tap before the meter....

Edited by Deva Link on Wednesday 31st March 15:57

Surely they're not going to be that stupid?

Probably not, but I can always hope. I installed a garage tap in my last house by digging down and tapping into the plastic supply pipe, but that was many years ago. If someone has since put a meter in that house then then the garage tap will be unmetered. With in-house meters it must by quite common.

[Ganglandboss]

netherfield said:

Get it outside,then it can be read without access to your house.

Many internal meters have an external reading device.

http://www.cambridge-water.co.uk/customers/meter-r...

[Mobile Chicane]

Ganglandboss said:

netherfield said:

Get it outside,then it can be read without access to your house.

Many internal meters have an external reading device.

http://www.cambridge-water.co.uk/customers/meter-r...

Mine is inside the house and has a wireless transmitter to enable the reading to be taken (Sutton and East Surrey Water).

Unfortunately it's slap bang next to the loo until I can box it in, since this is where the cold water supply enters the house.

[tenohfive]

Goochie said:

Hedders said:

Goochie said:

With this in mind, I've decided to have a water meter fitted, especially as you can have it removed within a year if it doesnt' work out cheaper.

I have a hard time believing that the water company will do that without it costing you money!

All water companies have an agreement with the regulator that they have to remove the meter if you're not happy within the first 12 months.

That applies to when you've had a meter voluntarily installed. The vast majority of water meters fitted nowadays aren't voluntary - they have to try and install a water meter if the house changes hands etc.

As for having a water meter installed outside so they can read it without you being there...reading a water meter is not rocket science. You can do it yourself and as long as the reading you provide is honest (or plausible) then you're fine. I know the water company I used to work for worked on a read/estimate system whereby the first 6 months bill was based on a read, the second on an estimate (with the estimating software being ridiculously inaccurate, resulting for alot of people in high then low then high then low bills) so reading your own water meter after you've been given a bill and ringing up to arrange a rebill is the best way to ensure you get consistent bills that you can budget for more easily. And means you're more likely to detect a leak.

Oh, and whilst there are devices for reading meters externally...they're expensive. I'm not sure if water companies offer them as an optional extra now, but whilst I was in that trade they were almost never seen - the only ones I saw actually used were where the location of the meter was hazardous to access.

As for whether or not they'll install the meter inside or out...its wherever is easiest (and cheapest) for them generally. The quality of the fitters work wasn't ever something I heard complimented, though I may be biased against them - I spent alot of time detecting where they'd installed meters that meant that people were paying for their neighbours supplies etc...

Get them to come out and see what the survey says. If you're happy, go ahead. Out of preference though I'd want an external meter in your circumstances, and you can always say no to having one fitted.

[rfisher]

Get it installed as close to your stop tap as possible.

My meter is 20 yards up the road.

So far I've been made to have 2 repairs to the pipe between the meter and my stop tap.

After much grief and threats from the water company that I'd have to pay £5000 - £10000 to have the pipe replaced, I've eventually got them to do 2 free repairs.

When (and it is when, not if) it starts leaking again I'll have to pay.

At that point I'm going to buy a mole off Ebay and do it myself.

[Four Cofffee]

Mine is under the sink in the utility room (old house).


Water Board told my Mum she couldn't have one because the mains supply split and was shared with next door. In the end they relented but she has 2 meters, ine under the sink and one just on the supply to the downstairs toilet which must hardly get any use.