water rates

[eggsarascal]

13 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Right a follow up; as I said my combined water and sewerage rate is £430 per year.

 

If I go for a meter that would mean I could use 400 tonnes a year before I break even,

 

Using an online calculator with a generous weekly 10 baths, 8 flushes, 5 dishwashes and 5 washing machine plus leaving a hose running for 5 hours a year that comes to 102m3 of water

 

My water use  charge would be

£107.12

Water standing charge£28.20

 

Sewerage variable charge£92.32

Sewerage standing charge£65.18

 

Surface water drainage rebate£-26.66

So £266 instead of £430 and if I use well water it could be much less but less said about that the better so the sewerage undertaking don't get wind of the plan.

 

So worth doing but I need to see about running a plastic pipe from the stopcock 30 metres into the kitchen, 750mm deep and it must go under the two foul sewers I think. I suspect the water company will wish to inspect the installation before they connect it to the meter.

 

 

Unless things have changed, it's got nothing to do with the water authority how deep, or where you lay the pipe, as long as your side of meter is on your property.

[daveatdave]

just got this years bill 521 for a 2 bed semi cant have a meter because there is 2 feeds one to the house another to the wash house which also feeds my neighbors wash house  

[Peasgood]

8 hours ago, eggsarascal said:

Unless things have changed, it's got nothing to do with the water authority how deep, or where you lay the pipe, as long as your side of meter is on your property.

Things have changed then because that will want to inspect the layout right into the property. Mostly to make sure it is deep enough and insulated enough to be sure it can't freeze. The standard of inspection will vary and every inspector seems to want something different to the last one.

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, Peasgood said:

Things have changed then because that will want to inspect the layout right into the property. Mostly to make sure it is deep enough and insulated enough to be sure it can't freeze. The standard of inspection will vary and every inspector seems to want something different to the last one.

Who inspects water company or building control?

[Peasgood]

22 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Who inspects water company or building control?

Water company. 
Here it is Waterplus, they are a company that you have to experience in order to start to grasp just how incompetent they are. I don’t think the English language is actually able to convey how bad they can be. 

[agg221]

This thread reminds me of an engagement I had with our local water company a few years ago.

 

Me: 'I have found our stopcock. It was under an elm tree which must have grown over it 30yrs ago, the tree has died and the stump has rotted off. When I pushed it over, I found the stopcock under it. I have gently tried turning it but am a bit reluctant to try any harder as if it snaps there is no other stopcock out on the road.'

Them: 'There will be another stopcock out on the road'.

Me: 'No, there isn't'.

Them: 'We will send someone to trace the stopcock on the road'.

 

Turns out this is a moderately urgent situation in their books, so someone turned up the following week and spent two or three hours tracing every area of the road, opening every inspection hatch and turning off the water to each or our neighbours in turn, and generally annoying them.

 

Them: 'You don't have a stopcock on the road'.

Me: 'No, that's what I said'.

Them: 'We will have to replace the stopcock in your garden'.

Me: 'Good - when can you do it?'

Them: 'Next week'.

 

They duly turned up, and duly followed my clear statement that I did -not- want a meter (two small children, many running taps).

 

All sorted, but it would be easier if they accepted that maybe some people are vaguely competent in the first place rather than automatically assuming stupidity.

 

Alec

[openspaceman]

54 minutes ago, agg221 said:

This thread reminds me of an engagement I had with our local water company a few years ago.

 

Me: 'I have found our stopcock. It was under an elm tree which must have grown over it 30yrs ago, the tree has died and the stump has rotted off. When I pushed it over, I found the stopcock under it. I have gently tried turning it but am a bit reluctant to try any harder as if it snaps there is no other stopcock out on the road.'

Them: 'There will be another stopcock out on the road'.

Me: 'No, there isn't'.

Them: 'We will send someone to trace the stopcock on the road'.

 

Turns out this is a moderately urgent situation in their books, so someone turned up the following week and spent two or three hours tracing every area of the road, opening every inspection hatch and turning off the water to each or our neighbours in turn, and generally annoying them.

 

Them: 'You don't have a stopcock on the road'.

Me: 'No, that's what I said'.

Them: 'We will have to replace the stopcock in your garden'.

Me: 'Good - when can you do it?'

Them: 'Next week'.

 

They duly turned up, and duly followed my clear statement that I did -not- want a meter (two small children, many running taps).

 

All sorted, but it would be easier if they accepted that maybe some people are vaguely competent in the first place rather than automatically assuming stupidity.

 

Alec

Did they cut the supply to the whole road to replace your stopcock?

[agg221]

25 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Did they cut the supply to the whole road to replace your stopcock?

No, they froze the pipe upstream of it. We had water out for less than an hour and nobody else affected.

 

The person on the ground was very efficient - it was just the office team and survey team who seemed clueless.

 

Alec

Edited February 20, 2022 by agg221

[openspaceman]

15 minutes ago, agg221 said:

No, they froze the pipe upstream of it. We had water out for less than an hour and nobody else affected.

 

The person on the ground was very efficient - it was just the office team and survey team who seemed clueless.

 

Alec

Thanks, much the same as NHS then.

 

I have started the process of seeing which route I can trench for a new water pipe and mapping gas and electricity  supplies.

[eggsarascal]

9 hours ago, Peasgood said:

Things have changed then because that will want to inspect the layout right into the property. Mostly to make sure it is deep enough and insulated enough to be sure it can't freeze. The standard of inspection will vary and every inspector seems to want something different to the last one.

If that's how it is now, that's how it is, though I can't see how any water authority can tell folk what to do with their own property. Your side of the meter/stopcock is your responsibility, or are they saying they take responsibility for your water main right into the building now?