They reduced the size of farm water meter without consultation!

[HBush]

The water board fitted a new size 15 meter for my farm and dwelling house supply where there was a size 20 previously. I am afraid that this may cause irregularities in supply, as the pipework on the farm is all old and will have been sized to the 20 meter.
They did this without warning, and have not given me a reasonable explanation, except that it is Scottish Waters policy to put in as small meter as possible.
I complained so they sent round someone to speak to me, who insisted that since the connections on the size 20 and 15 were the the same, there would be no issues. The man said I should be happy about it as the service charge for the 15 was less.
The meter size is stated on Business Streams online billing system.

Does anyone out there know enough about plumbing and water meters to be able to comment?

 

[Sharpy]

It depends on your mains pressure and useage. If you have good pressure it will make little difference.

 

[HBush]

Thanks Sharpy.
We were enjoying the mains pressure we had previously as showers were good through the combi -boiler, the irrigation system in the polytunnel worked, and the washing machine filled normally, and the pressure washer functioned.
None of this happened before Scottish Water fitted a new main along the main road 5 years ago.

 

[feilding]

How much pressure have you got, that can make all the difference. Some water companies reduce pressure to save repairing leaks.
I'm lucky as I've got good pressure of 7 bar through a 32mm pipe to my small property.

 

[HBush]

Hi fielding. I am not too sure. It has not been measured for a while.
Immediately after the new Mains along the main road, we had a pressure of 4Bars. That was measured by the water board. At that I was happy to change our household water system to a mains pressure type, which needs 1.5Bar minimum. BUT - the man who measured it said that they were within their rights to reduce it to 1Bar, which would have been a problem. He said it was unlikely to stay so high as they extended the new system.

Talking to the water board makes me feel as though I have been beaten around the head with a wet fish!

 

[HBush]

To be honest the meter change was not the only gripe I had with them. They moved the meter out of the old service box to a position on top of their own water toby. It was in the farm yard and vulnerable to heavy vehicles squashing the box. It was also about 4" below the lid, and vulnerable to frost.
More fool them thought I!
Until I read the small print
- " The user is responsible for any damage to the meter by frost or otherwise".
Oddly the new meter did not work. So after 6 months or so, I reported the "stopped" meter, and and asked them to put it back in its original position while they were replacing it. I suggested that it had been fitted in redundant pipework. A man arrived within days to replace the meter, but was not authorised to move it back. I would not let him do it until the other issues were sorted out.

I think they are trying to force me to accept some of their ancient pipework to maintain, by moving the meter. And have told them "NO". There were 2 other houses nearby in the 1970's, so who knows what redundant pipework I would find myself taking on.

And before anyone else says it, "Just because I am paranoid, does not mean that they aren't out to get me".

(And I was fool enough to report the stuck meter..... Sob Sob!)

 

[gatepost]

At least you still have a meter, one of mine has been 'lost' I now get one bill that is right and this week one for a property in Walthamstow nothing to do with us,which at over 150 miles away could suffer with a reduction in pressure! I have had a chat with our new water supplier (not my idea) and they tell me I don't exist , which is strange as they came out and serviced the non existent meter and had a chat to the non existent me a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

Of topic slight but castle water!? Ahhhh!

Taken over from Thames water and choose to ignore the science b meters and sent me the bill for the lot!

1 year later still trying to sort it out

 

[Exfarmer]

Theoretically the meter size will make very little difference.
The capacity of a pipeline is a calculation of internal diameter times distance. The meter actually constructs your flow for such a short distance , unless you are taking the capacity to the limit it will not show.
Most irrigation networks will have 6-8 inch pipes but few will have more than a 4 inch meter in that system.

 

[Goweresque]

Of topic slight but castle water!? Ahhhh!

Taken over from Thames water and choose to ignore the science b meters and sent me the bill for the lot!

1 year later still trying to sort it out

Don't get me started!!! I have started to get shivers every time I see one of their envelopes come through the door. They're a mixture of pure incompetence and grasping greed.

I did discover in one of my long phone calls to them about their failure to read a single meter yet continually send estimated bills (into the future no less) that it is possible to attempt to escape their clutches - if the account in question is not just a commercial one but also supplies domestic properties (that have council tax bills) then it could be deemed not a commercial account and returned to Thames Water. I have requested such a transfer for 3 of the 4 accounts I have with Castle water, on the grounds that each account supplies multiple houses as well as the farm. I'm awaiting their response.

 

[gatepost]

Of topic slight but castle water!? Ahhhh!

Taken over from Thames water and choose to ignore the science b meters and sent me the bill for the lot!

1 year later still trying to sort it out

That's the culprit.

 

[nickf]

Don't get me started!!! I have started to get shivers every time I see one of their envelopes come through the door. They're a mixture of pure incompetence and grasping greed.

I did discover in one of my long phone calls to them about their failure to read a single meter yet continually send estimated bills (into the future no less) that it is possible to attempt to escape their clutches - if the account in question is not just a commercial one but also supplies domestic properties (that have council tax bills) then it could be deemed not a commercial account and returned to Thames Water. I have requested such a transfer for 3 of the 4 accounts I have with Castle water, on the grounds that each account supplies multiple houses as well as the farm. I'm awaiting their response.

Interesting! I have two meters which also supply domestic properties as well as farm yards. I look forward to seeing how you get on as I have similar problems with them. The only way I have been able to deal with them so far is cancel any direct debits because they were trying to take money with no invoices! Have still not had any invoices for a few months now but at least I haven't paid them anything.

They are a shambles and I have no idea why the regulator isn't all over them like a rash.

 

[indiescot]

One of my relatives up in Orkney wanted a water meter disconnected in a disused building so spoke to Scottish water and was told it would be over £300 to do it. It is fair to say he likes to look after his money so he wasn't best pleased with this.
His cunning plan was then to stop paying the bill till eventually the letter came in threatening to cut his supply off! Off he went to the local office with the letter in hand and told the guys to crack on and get it disconnected!
I think he said because he knew them quite well they settled on a £100 fee. Always thought it was a minor touch of genius and certainly gave me a laugh when he told me!

 

[Cowabunga]

They are a shambles and I have no idea why the regulator isn't all over them like a rash.

Have you reported them to the regulator? Regulator can't do a thing without complaints.

 

[nickf]

Have you reported them to the regulator? Regulator can't do a thing without complaints.

Looked into it via OFWAT and the Consumer Council for Water.

They don't seem interested until the water provider has had time to "put things right." Castle Water are well aware that they have a problem but as I am not receiving any invoices at the moment and they are not receiving any money then I guess their cash flow will eventually sort the problem out for them one way or another.

 

[Goweresque]

Have you reported them to the regulator? Regulator can't do a thing without complaints.

I'm told that their current practices have been cleared by the Regulator and Defra, namely to move all customers from paying for water in arrears to paying in advance by estimated bills. This due to the fact that all the new commercial water companies are billed in advance for their wholesale water from the likes of Thames etc. And that all the other competing companies are doing exactly the same, so there's no point even trying to move to a new supplier.

I have complained to my local MP that such an anti-competitive 'market' has been created, I've not had any response beyond a holding letter saying he's passed my complaint on to the relevant Government dept so far. He's pretty good usually so I expect to get something in due course.

 

[Goweresque]

Update - it is possible to be taken off the commercial water market and put back to the domestic one, my Mother's water account was moved to Castle Water from Thames with all the rest, and following my discovery that the move could be reversed spoke to Castle and today has had a letter saying her account is being returned to Thames. Her case was pretty cut and dried, although its a farmhouse, there's no mains water to any of the buildings or fields, they're all spring fed. So it is possible.

 

[HBush]

Have you reported them to the regulator? Regulator can't do a thing without complaints.

Maybe I should do just that.