Water Account from Municipality

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kalevra

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Trying to help my dad out - he's been receiving massive bills for water. 150 to 225 Kilo litres per month amounting to between R3000 and R6000...

A few months back there was a leak at the metre which has since been fixed. I've taken his latest bill and checked the meter reading and for this time of the month the reading seems correct e.g. final reading was 3424 reading yesterday was 3559 which is inline with the current recorded usage on the bill.

I've checked his previous bills from the previous 18months and he has been averaging 60 to 80 kilo litres which is a third of what it is now... He isn't using any extra.

Any ideas? Faulty meter, a leak in the pipe underground???

Any help will be appreciated - my dad's quite old and can't help himself so I really need to sort this out for him.
 
Swimming pool? Hot-Tub?

Most probably an old rusted galvanised underground pipe. look for the greenest patch of grass on your lawn and start digging!
 
StonerStuart said:
Swimming pool? Hot-Tub?

Most probably an old rusted galvanised underground pipe. look for the greenest patch of grass on your lawn and start digging!
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My dad has two jacuzi but uses neither... Has a swimming pool but doesn't fill it up with municipal water - he has a rain catcher system which leads into a big water drum - he's very stingy so wouldn't use water like that for the pool.

He has no lawn ... think we might have to get someone out - any recommendations or any average Joe plumber?

How the hell do you find a leak underground must be a farkin mission...

I also wonder what the chances are that the actual metre is screwed and is running at a higher rate than it should - wonder how often that happens or if it's even possible.
 
kalevra said:
My dad has two jacuzi but uses neither... Has a swimming pool but doesn't fill it up with municipal water - he has a rain catcher system which leads into a big water drum - he's very stingy so wouldn't use water like that for the pool.

He has no lawn ... think we might have to get someone out - any recommendations or any average Joe plumber?

How the hell do you find a leak underground must be a farkin mission...

I also wonder what the chances are that the actual metre is screwed and is running at a higher rate than it should - wonder how often that happens or if it's even possible.
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the guys have equipment to check for that and can locate pipes in the ground etc.

you should see if there is a leak if you turn everything off, geyser inlets the lot and check the meter.
 
Good luck... Also try inspect your walls (plaster) for water damage as water could be leaking between the bricks and you would have no idea it is happening unless you are looking for it.
 
StonerStuart said:
Good luck... Also try inspect your walls (plaster) for water damage as water could be leaking between the bricks and you would have no idea it is happening unless you are looking for it.
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Kewl thanks for the suggestion - will do!
 
Some tips

"How do I know if there is a water leak on my property?"

Check the toilets to ensure that the rubber seal is effective and water does not continually run into the bowl.
If a hissing sound can be heard from the water pipes where no taps are running, there is probably a leak.
Look out for any damp areas on the ground or on the walls where your water pipes are located.
Make sure that the geyser is not overflowing by checking the overflow pipe, which should protrude from the roof.
One of the easiest ways to check if you have a leak on your property is to make sure that all taps are closed and to then take the reading on your water meter. If after approximately 30 minutes later the meter reading has changed and your taps are all still shut, there is definitely a leak.
Make sure that no taps are leaking - a dripping tap can waste more that 200 liters of water per day, or about 6.5 kiloliters a month.
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http://smartwatermanagement.co.za/faq.asp

Also, does your local council actually physically come and read the meter ? or are you being billed on "estimated usage" ?
 
Nanfeishen said:
Some tips


http://smartwatermanagement.co.za/faq.asp

Also, does your local council actually physically come and read the meter ? or are you being billed on "estimated usage" ?
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The electricity usage notes 'estimated' - whereas the water doesn't - plus when I checked it for myself the figure was inline with their reading... I've asked my dad to check the reading himself - or I will probably go the end of the month.

Thanks for the tips... Will try checking if when all the taps are closed etc what usage is being shown... Suppose you can take a reading - wait 5 minutes take another and extrapolate. Our meter shows parts of kilolitres up to 4 decimal places so should get a fairly accurate idea of what is going on.
 
kalevra said:
The electricity usage notes 'estimated' - whereas the water doesn't - plus when I checked it for myself the figure was inline with their reading... I've asked my dad to check the reading himself - or I will probably go the end of the month.

Thanks for the tips... Will try checking if when all the taps are closed etc what usage is being shown... Suppose you can take a reading - wait 5 minutes take another and extrapolate. Our meter shows parts of kilolitres up to 4 decimal places so should get a fairly accurate idea of what is going on.
Click to expand...

Hope you get it sorted, nothing worse than being billed for excess, when you know there is no excess :(
 
Nanfeishen said:
Hope you get it sorted, nothing worse than being billed for excess, when you know there is no excess :(
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Not to mention my dad's 84 and this is a hassle to deal with...

Will get someone out there ASAP.
 
A trick I use for all the readings is to take a photo of the meters on the 1st of every month. I do not have disputes with the accounts then.
 
Wait 60 to 80 kl is already hectic for one person to use, what is he doing that he needs to use that much water? I think he's been having an issue with leaks for awhile now and it's just escalated. As one person shouldn't use that much water in a month, I mean I start to worry when we go over 20 and that is with 3 of us living in the place.
 
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