Users can remove all display ads (not sponsors) for a small fee. Click for info (must be logged in)

A Leak But No Water

Post new thread

Discuss A Leak But No Water in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

Status
Not open for further replies.
V

Veggie Dave

Okay, what am I missing?

I have a customer with a water bill that's far higher than it should be given there are only two people in the house.
The water meter keeps turning, albeit very, very slowly, when nothing and no-one is using water.
If I isolate the customer side of the meter using the stopcock immediately after the meter the dials stop moving.
If I isolate all the brass ware and machines on the system the water dial still moves.
There isn't a single, solitary sign of a leak anywhere.

The vast majority of the system is visible, there's only a vertical run of around three feet that's boxed-in, but there's no sign of water at the bottom of this boxing.

I would swear blind there's no leak anywhere in the system, yet those meter dials keep moving. Theoretically there must be a leak but there isn't a single drop of water anywhere. :banghead:
 
its leaking some where, you just need to find out where, just check the roof tanks arent filling when your looking for a leak, common error. can you isolate incoming main and then check dial to see if leak on supply to house.
 
APPlumbing said:
Not a wc with a built in overflow?
Click to expand...

Aaarrgggghhhhh! That was the one thing I didn't check. There was no obvious flow into the bowl but I forgot to actually check the cistern itself.

lame plumber said:
check the roof tanks arent filling when your looking for a leak, common error.
Click to expand...

It's a combi system, the pipework to the tanks in the loft have all been removed.

can you isolate incoming main and then check dial to see if leak on supply to house.
Click to expand...

Sadly not, which is why I had to physically isolate and check everything connected to the system.
 
Howsie said:
WC is my bet if you can see all the pipe work.
Click to expand...

She's just looked and, apparently, it's not over flowing. This was by text so I'm going to talk her through it on the phone as this seems to be the only possible cause left - if there's no problem there then I may have to give up and become a tiler instead...
 
Veggie Dave said:
Okay, what am I missing?


there's only a vertical run of around three feet that's boxed-in, but there's no sign of water at the bottom of this boxing.
Click to expand...

There isn't a T in there going to somewhere, next door, outside tap or?

Alternately can you cut the pipe after the meter and before any T and cap it, it may be a dodgy meter?
 
u seem to be missing the fact it may be leaking on the underground section to the house
 
snowhead said:
There isn't a T in there going to somewhere, next door, outside tap or?
Click to expand...

There's definitely nothing going either outside or to next door. It's impossible to say there's definitely not a fitting hidden somewhere on the pipe run that's boxed in, but there's no logical reason for there to be one nor any sign of water along the only possible run there could be.

lame plumber said:
u seem to be missing the fact it may be leaking on the underground section to the house
Click to expand...

As I said, the entire system, barring the three feet of boxed-in pipework, is visible. There is no underground section after the meter.
 
best pull off the boxed in section to see if it Ts off somewhere and leaks
 
A leak with no water usually indicates a prostrate problem especially
at night or early hours........centralheatking
 
I'd put my ear to the wall where it comes in. If there's water noise, you can 99% guarantee it's inside the house as opposed to outside before it comes in.
 
Veggie Dave said:
Aaarrgggghhhhh! That was the one thing I didn't check. There was no obvious flow into the bowl but I forgot to actually check the cistern itself.



It's a combi system, the pipework to the tanks in the loft have all been removed.



Sadly not, which is why I had to physically isolate and check everything connected to the system.
Click to expand...

Check no leak through heat exchanger
 
Plan B;

Shut the stop tap at the meter off and see if you can pressurise the system with air.
 
We run 'Water Management Solutions' as a side line and this type of enquiry is common.

Average uk water consumption is 145 ltrs mains water per person per day. This is offset
in two ways - families consume more per head and older folk less (117 litres per day)

Consumption outside of these norms by + 25% indicates problems. It very rarely is the
water meter in our experience. We have just finished a big one that went from £1250
per 1/4 to £4200 in two years - all solved now - all down to old and poor maintemance of a variety of appliances in the multi occupancy block - wasting 7m3 per day which at £2.20
per m3 adds up

centralheatking
 
Veggie Dave said:
She's just looked and, apparently, it's not over flowing. This was by text so I'm going to talk her through it on the phone as this seems to be the only possible cause left - if there's no problem there then I may have to give up and become a tiler instead...
Click to expand...

But to a trained eye it may b a different story. A load of bog roll around the side of the pan 10 mins after a flush will tell you.

Good luck either way!
 
Veggie, i had 1 like this when i was running a site. Took me over a year to find. Ended up being a basin tap which was leaking VERY VERY tiny from a ceramic disc cartridge!!

It honestly will be something very stupid!

I capped loads off etc etc and ended up being a damn tap lol
 
Had this last week. The monthly bill went from £18 up to £44 and it was all down to 2 cistern valves letting water drip in to the pans. Dry around the rim then lay 1 square of paper at a time around the rim and wait for the leak to show - Simples
 
its normally going to be a wc or other fixture. isolate one at a time and see what happens. ive had it where there was a hair line crack at the bottom of a cistern causing it to pass slightly.

funnily enough everytime i use the toilet i find a hair line crack! :)
 
AWheating said:
its normally going to be a wc or other fixture. isolate one at a time and see what happens. ive had it where there was a hair line crack at the bottom of a cistern causing it to pass slightly.

funnily enough everytime i use the toilet i find a hair line crack! :)
Click to expand...

Hair lined cracks are quite rare these days
 
Hi, as you have said the meter stops spinning when the isolator after the meter is turned off. This means the leak is between the meter and the isolator underground
 
there no deadlegs going anywhere ? boiler filling loop on ? and PRV discharging ?
 
I have had two of these, one was in a stud wall over concrete and the water was being soaked up in the concrete, the other was a burst heatex on the heat only boiler so the f and e kept dripping water in.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Reply to A Leak But No Water in the Plumbing Jobs | The Job-board area at PlumbersForums.net

Newest Plumbing Threads

Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock