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Checking for an underground leak
External meters
This advice is relevant to you if you have a meter situated outside near your connection in the road.
First locate your meter and gain access to it, being careful to do this safely. Then find the incoming main stopcock, turn it off briefly and see if the meter stops.
· If the meter stops there is no leak between meter and stopcock.
· If the meter is still moving check that:
- there is no take-off between the meter and the stopcock, for example a garden supply;
- the stopcock is fully off.
If you are confident that you have carried out the above checks and the meter is still moving, it is likely you have an underground leak. You can calculate the size of the leak by watching the meter index and calculating how much water goes through in a set period of time.
Call us on 08005 878979 and we will visit and confirm whether you have a leak and try and locate it if possible. We will advise you but please note in many cases it is cheaper to replace and re-route the supply pipe rather than trying to find the position where the pipe is leaking.
Always employ a qualified and experienced contractor to repair or relay the pipe. If they operate the boundary stopcock in the street and break it, you or the contractor will have to pay us to repair it.
If you find that you have a leak we will offer you:
- Three hours' free leakage investigation.
- A rebate for the water lost provided the repair is undertaken within 14 days. See our Code of Practice for Business and Commercial Customers customers for full details.
Internal meters
Some meters are located inside the property and do not record any underground leaks between the road and the property.
They will record leaks beyond the inside stop tap in a property due to, for example, leaks from pipework beneath the floor, leaking taps and overflows from cisterns or urinal cisterns flushing too frequently.
If you think that you are losing water beyond the inside stop tap, you will need to contact a plumber. A list of plumbers can be found in the Yellow Pages, or you may like to contact our plumbing business, AquaCare, on 01202 591100. You will have to pay for this service.
We do not give any rebates for internal leaks.
