Water Meter Fitting

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
Staff member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
35,536
Reaction score
8,554
Points
113
Age
59
Website
www.sat-elite.uk
My Satellite Setup
A little less analogue, and a lot more crap.
My Location
UK
A queston for anyone that has had a meter fitted recently (or at least the last five to ten years)

I'm just about to have one fitted after almost a two year process (the company 'forgot' to process the request first time round, now claim I / my address is not in their databse).

Another month in the queue and I now have a confirmed date, though the caveat is if the property is not suitable when they turn up they will just walk away and send me another date for fitting.

Having seen four other properties in the road, along with the one right next door, all meters are on the pavement , replacing the standard stopcock for I presume a meter with one built in. This has been relayed to the water company on three occasions.

Now I have a confirmed date I've got a messae saying the meter is to be fitted internally, near the internal stop tap, though in 30 years of living here I don't believe I've ever seen a tap , even under the floorboards in the kitchen where the pipes split to the taps and boiler housing.

So are external meters no longer fitted or is this a generic letter and they can fit these things in keeping with the rest of the road?

Thanks in advance.
 

jeallen01

Specialist Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2003
Messages
6,674
Reaction score
2,630
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
See Signature
My Location
Somewhere in England (possibly?)!
Thames Water is probably your supply company and I don't know what they do, but Affinity Water is our supply company and they fit the meters out below the adjacent pavements at the point where the house supply pipes are connected - and I know they do still fit the meters there because the next door neighbours only found out that their meter had been replaced when they got a letter through the letterbox to that effect a couple of weeks ago.

BTW: I would be very worried if we did not have an easily accessible main stopcock in the house (we do) in case of a major internal leak &/or I wanted to do plumbing repairs/mods.
 

sonnetpete

Grumpy Old Retired Moderator and quiz inquisitor..
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
8,948
Reaction score
3,491
Points
113
Age
73
Website
wordpress.com
My Satellite Setup
Laminas 1.2M fibre dish with an IBU, on a Clarke Tech USALS motor, covering 57E - 24.5W to an Octagon SX88. Displayed on a 20" Dyon LED TV.

Seperate 80 cm dish on 28E with a Humax Freesat for SWMBO.
Free Sat V8 meter. Sony Bravia 46" LCD, Sony BluRay and Home Cinema.
My Location
Normandy, France
Obviously not related to UK meters but our water meter and stopcock is buried in a concrete box, in the meadow about 20 metres from the house. The water supplier changed it for one with a radio read out a few years back. It's also next to the land mine but you'll have to ask Lazarus to explain that... :-rofl2 :-rofl2
 

focus36

Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Messages
45
Reaction score
38
Points
18
Age
56
My Satellite Setup
1.2 raven, superjack actuator, zgemma H2S for now
My Location
Isle of Lewis
I pretty sure the will not put it in the propety or near it unless the boundry is close, end of the day if it was in the property it is very easy to bypass ;) not saying ya would do that like :) so defo go near the boundry of the house, we had a meter on the past property we lived in and it was next to the boundry wall easy access to be read by the water board.
 

Topper

Amo Amas Amant Admin
Staff member
Joined
Nov 18, 2004
Messages
23,991
Reaction score
4,014
Points
113
Age
69
My Satellite Setup
Has gone to a good home elsewhere
My Location
Blackburn, Lancashire
Normally when you have had a new blue alkathene water pipe fitted, to replace the old lead pipe, the stopcock housing on the pavement is replaced with a larger diameter one with a square cast iron flip top. If you have requested a meter, the meter is fitted in the new housing, if not then just a stopcock is fitted.
 

TJExcalibur

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2005
Messages
1,836
Reaction score
1,096
Points
113
Age
81
Location
Out of this world.
My Satellite Setup
Master Focus 90cm .Gigablue UHD Quad 4K on TM 2600 motor. *Tm 5402 HD M3, *Atemio Nemesis. *Not Used.
My Location
Southern England
You will find that they always want to fit it exterior of the property to make meter reading easier. Beware they may insist you have a Smart meter because they will not have instant access to the house for readings. I would find that stop valve, not sure how you did any maintenance without isolating the supply. We used to change washers and ball valves live, OK if it went OK but often we got soaked.
 

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
Staff member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
35,536
Reaction score
8,554
Points
113
Age
59
Website
www.sat-elite.uk
My Satellite Setup
A little less analogue, and a lot more crap.
My Location
UK
You will find that they always want to fit it exterior of the property to make meter reading easier. Beware they may insist you have a Smart meter because they will not have instant access to the house for readings. I would find that stop valve, not sure how you did any maintenance without isolating the supply. We used to change washers and ball valves live, OK if it went OK but often we got soaked.

The stopcock on the road is closer (and eminently easier) to access than any pipe in the kitchen. It is 80cms under the pavement and I have an IRTE locking bar with two cutouts in it next to the front door, that serve to close the tap off in about ten seconds. I haven't had to use it in over twenty years.

Yes, they are claiming the older style meter is no longer available ( ho ho ! ). The neighbours have the usual meter and because they are a family of six I would expect their bill to be higher than mine, but no. I am on the LV tariff which was around £350 from memory for a few years. The reason I wanted to move to a readable tariff two years ago.

Now the LV tariff is up by another £150+ (I've been threatened by their 'legal' team out of PO Box 486, Byfleet for arguing to toss since 2020) so it makes sense to get it all ship shape sooner rather than later. Still annoyed they are claiming I'm a new customer.

I did have a 25 minute conversation with the rep earlier, all the other households have a dinner plate sized portal in the road, I have the earlier/smaller rectangular version and so I expect them to disappear as soon as they turn up and claim the pavement needs to be dug up (after planning/approval etc.)

I can see it's going to be a long journey to finally knowing just how little I am using, and I'll be a grand poorer for it.
 
Last edited:

jeallen01

Specialist Contributor
Joined
Oct 12, 2003
Messages
6,674
Reaction score
2,630
Points
113
My Satellite Setup
See Signature
My Location
Somewhere in England (possibly?)!
Ref the "dinner plate sized portal" on the pavement - that's outside your property and thus you shouldn't have to pay for anything related to that = "resist at all costs" (literally!) :D
 

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
Staff member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
35,536
Reaction score
8,554
Points
113
Age
59
Website
www.sat-elite.uk
My Satellite Setup
A little less analogue, and a lot more crap.
My Location
UK
Oh I won't have to pay, but in two years I've jumped hoops to get somebody to check and yet I'm still at square one.

They won't turn up unless I'm iin, yet they already know the dimensions of the pit, housing the mains stopcock outside means they need to go through council planning before progressng to fit the meter

It's as though they are onto a winner with the LV ratings and are stalling any work that might reduce the income....
 
Last edited:

TJExcalibur

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2005
Messages
1,836
Reaction score
1,096
Points
113
Age
81
Location
Out of this world.
My Satellite Setup
Master Focus 90cm .Gigablue UHD Quad 4K on TM 2600 motor. *Tm 5402 HD M3, *Atemio Nemesis. *Not Used.
My Location
Southern England
Tell them you are fed up with it dragging on for so long you are going to contact OFWAT. Water companies hate complaints.
 

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
Staff member
Joined
Jan 1, 2000
Messages
35,536
Reaction score
8,554
Points
113
Age
59
Website
www.sat-elite.uk
My Satellite Setup
A little less analogue, and a lot more crap.
My Location
UK
Thanks

The rep from the inspection company (not the supplier) came round on time and confirmed there is no chance of fitting the meter without groundworks, so a possible 12 week wait before the council approve. Actually it was a far better experience dealing with the contractor than the ones suckng funds from the bank balance, they get their hands dirty, as opposed to being grubby in the first instance.
 
Top