Will I be forced to have a water meter?

[RWhites]

Hi all.
I'm not sure this is the right forum for this question, but figured you were my best bet....

We currently have an unmetered supply with Yorkshire Water.

I'm thinking of having my mains water supply re-routed - for a variety of reasons that I won't digress onto right now.... Does anyone know if we would be forced to have a meter fitted if the supply was moved?

For reference, I'm talking about a new pipe run of about approx 50m to run down the road rather than under my neighbour's garden, so not just tinkering with the pipework within my boundary(!).

There is no lead invloved.

Cheers.
RWhites

 

[Charnwood]

Almost certainly not......yet.

Government is looking to make meters mandatory by 2030, but just installing a new supply pipe does not give YW the right to force one on you. They are still optional and will be fitted only if you request one.

 

[FiremanT]

Almost certainly not......yet.

Government is looking to make meters mandatory by 2030, but just installing a new supply pipe does not give YW the right to force one on you. They are still optional and will be fitted only if you request one.

Around here (Anglian) they are fitting them regardless of your choice! Thy can't make the existing householder go metered, but any incoming occupier will have no choice. (IIUIC)

 

[big-all]

how many people in your family??
in general if you have more bedrooms than people you will be better off with a meter
my bills halved when i got a meter but i am a careful user [30units a year]
around here sutton and east surrey standing charges are around £78 with 30 units at around £1.80p are £54
even if you use 3 times the water 90 units at £162 plus £78= £240 its still less than the around £260 un metered supply

 

[Agile]

Is it a public road?

Have you got a quote?

Digging the trench to 750mm min depth makes it far cheaper.

Not likely to be an option with a public road though.

Tony

 

[RWhites]

big-all: - there are 4 of us, and the house is currently 2 bedrooms / maybe 3 depending how you count them...! I got my bill the other day, and I seem to remember it was £250 unmetered, supply only. I wouldn't consider myself a frugal water user - I do like a good shower, and the kids both have baths in the evening. I'm pretty sure I'd be paying more if I went onto metered.... especially when I want to water-in a new patch of lawn or whatever.... we've not had a hosepipe ban here for years!!

Tony: I've not had a quote yet - which might put me off! It is a public road. Does that tend to be a dealbreaker? It is a quiet road....

My supply (as far as I can tell) goes from a shared stop valve in my neighbour-but-one's field, under my neighbour's back garden / conservatory, into my back garden. If my neighbour needed to turn off her water at the mains stop valve, my water would also be turned off. Whilst I get on with my neighbours very well, it is far from ideal.

Another big reason for wanting to do it is flow rate. I get 16lt/min straight out of the entry point to the house. 25mm MDPE reduced down to 22mm, full bore valves etc. I measured my neighbour's flow rate from her outside tap (15mm pipe, standard outside tap), and she gets 24lt/min. My static pressure is good at about 9 bar, but dynamic pressure falls off a cliff - about 1 bar - which is where my main issue is. Having a shower when the washing machine is on can be tricky!

I've read about these moleing machines as an alternative to digging, but the ground here is basically (softish) sandstone, so I'm not convinced it is suitable for moleing - does anyone know?

 

[Agile]

I presume you dont own the land in between?

Any public road needs an approved contractor and thats where the costs get quite high.

You can trench your own land to shorten the public road bit.

I would be expecting £3-£5k.

Your supply is already better than most people in London are getting. Here its often static 2 Bar and open pipe flow 10-15 li/min

A far cheaper option for you is a Grundfos home booster pump set. Costs about £1000 and takes up about 1 sq m.

It has a tank and pressure pump to give you a dynamic pressure of about 2 Bar and flow rate of up to 22 li/min.

Tony

 

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

I had heard something about us having compulsory water meters thrust upon by 2016.
I am in Kent and I think it is to do with where you are in the country and droughts.
Bad news for us - not just that we are a family of five. But with a husband as a plumber if we get leaks or dripping taps - they don't get fixed for years!

Just phone up you local water company and ask them.

 

[big-all]

use a water calculator
http://www.ccwater.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.388

 

[RWhites]

I presume you dont own the land in between?

Any public road needs an approved contractor and thats where the costs get quite high.

You can trench your own land to shorten the public road bit.

I would be expecting £3-£5k.

Your supply is already better than most people in London are getting. Here its often static 2 Bar and open pipe flow 10-15 li/min

A far cheaper option for you is a Grundfos home booster pump set. Costs about £1000 and takes up about 1 sq m.

It has a tank and pressure pump to give you a dynamic pressure of about 2 Bar and flow rate of up to 22 li/min.

Tony

Ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess I'll be talking very nicely with my neighbour! (her land is the alternative to the public road). Trenching across her garden is a (remote) possibility, and I'm not scared of a bit of hard work....!

The booster pump set is an interesting idea, I'll look into that as an alternative.

Cheers Tony.

RWhites

 

[Agile]

With that distance you will need a larger diameter supply pipe.

But the booster set will be the best answer and involves just about three hours installation.

If you did have a new supply pipe then you MUST have a wayleave agreement ( with an annual payment of perhaps £10 ) so that she cannot dig it up or cut you off ( or damage it without liability ).

If the land is farmed it will need to be deeper than the Water Regs min of 750 mm as farmers tell me they "deep plough" to deeper that that. If I tried to argue they then say the tractor hydraulics can fail and it can go deeper than intended!

Even if its set asside or used for grazing now that could always change in the future!

Tony

 

[RWhites]

use a water calculator
http://www.ccwater.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.388

I've checked.... I'd definitely be paying more with a meter - even if I don't use the hosepipe!

 

[big-all]

i wouldnt take the amount as actual
i use just under 30 unit it said i use 52
the only way i could get it down to 30 was to say we used no water except 3 showers a week

to find the amount they assume you are using put in the number off people and zero in all the boxes

ok it assumes 11 units per person on top off usage which matches exactly my actual amount as in 30 used plus 2x11 is in fact 52 so knock 44 off your use then add on perhaps 10 for things not covered like dishes/washing/clothes ect