water bill

[bertie]

My water bill for the year is usually between 100 -180 euros. I have just received the bill for last year which is 1237 euros for 860 cubic metres! 

 The house is only occupied for about 12-14 weeks of the year. I had repair work to the pool so it had to be filled again but that was only about 40 cubic metres.  Also last year a neighbour told me that water was bubbling up in the road outside my house but not on my land. The problem was fixed by the commune and I wasn't billed for the work so  presumed it wasn't my problem. Would I have been charged for this loss of water from the leak?

Everywhere is shut until Tuesday but I want to collect as much information as I can and hopefully persuade them that I am not responsible for the whole bill.

Thanks,

Eillen

[Val_2]

You are responsible for any leaks from your side of the water meter.Anything on the other side of the meter is either the commune or the water company and you do not pay. You may have a leak under your property which is why your meter has read this figure and it does happen, near to us over six months of a major leak with a bill of many thousands of euros which was sorted via the house insurance. Get it checked in case it is you.

[bertie]

Thanks Val2. 

I have looked all around the house and in the garden but cannot find any soggy patches or areas where everything grows well. I also cannot find where the water meters are to do another reading to see if the problem is continuing. Our bill comes from the mairie so do I ask them to check the meters for me? If there is still a problem what type of organisation do I ring to check for leaks? I was cut off for 2 weeks earlier this year. the man who worked for the commune told me that there had been lots of problems with water in the village but that the problem was not to do with my house.

Does normal household insurance inFfrance deal with this or should I have taken out separate insurance for this? I have only just received a cheque for a burgulary in November. It's not my year!

Thanks

Eillen

[powerdesal]

I wonder if I am paranoid or normal but whenever we leave the French house for any length of time I always isolate the water at the meter outlet valve, similarly I isolate the electrics at the mains. Is this just me being odd ?????

[Dick Smith]

No, I do the same, especially in winter.

[Val_2]

It is normal to turn off the water supply to the house at the meter if you are not there all the time especially in cold weather as if there is a leak then you will be clocking up the euros. To the poster, I do not understand why you cannnot find your meter, its one of the major things you find the whereabouts of when you buy a property here along with the fosse septic and electric meter. Also if you have any outside taps that are not locked and your supply is still open, neighbours will use it especially if it is a holiday home,never trust anyone here where water and electricity is concerned if they can get it for free.

[Dick Smith]

I take your point about the neighbours, Val (I don't totally trust mine) but there is a about three quarters of a ton of water missing here! That has to be a leak. Is there a loss of water pressure in the house?

But like you, I can't see how the main valve for the house isn't obvious.

[powerdesal]

He11s teeth !  I had never considered the possibility of water theft.

I suppose if someone really wanted to they could open my isolating valve, use water from the outside tap and then close the valve again, I would never be able to prove a thing. Scary thought.

[Dick Smith]

We've thought of that, too, and just cutting into our pipeline. But our only immediate neighbour has an artesian well.

It's just occurred to me that they can't - the outside tap is fed from inside - after the indoor isolator, which is always turned off when we are away.

[krusty]

You can do what I have seen seen the water board men do in England check late at night for the sound of running water .It should be easy in France it soon goes very quite at night.

[passepartout]

Hi Val-2,  how does one put a lock on an outside tap, we turn the water off at the meter, but anyone could turn it on again, thanks in advance

[Val_2]

You can buy a device with a locking key at a good builder's merchants. We just simply have a removable tap head but then we are here all day and every day to prevent theft. Water theft does go on especially in the countryside where farmers have known to fill up their bowsers for the cattle troughs from holiday homes who left their outside taps on.

[Dick Smith]

Hi Val

Do you mean something that locks the main stopc o c k at the entry point to the property?

[trees 2]

[quote user="powerdesal"]I wonder if I am paranoid or normal but whenever we leave the French house for any length of time I always isolate the water at the meter outlet valve, similarly I isolate the electrics at the mains. Is this just me being odd ?????

[/quote]

Me too, but I leave the boiler on frost protection, and isolate everything else via disjoncteurs. The water is most definitely OFF, however.

[jondeau]

The simplest way to check if you have an underground leak........

First of all make sure the kettle is full.

Take a reading from your water meter......and then do not use any taps or appliances in the house for as long as possible, preferably overnight.

Then re-read the water meter.

Of course you may have to find the meter first.

[AnOther]

[quote user="Dick Smith"]there is a about three quarters of a ton of water missing here[/quote]I think you need to revist your arithmetic Dick:

1cu/m of water = 1000kg therefore 2 cu/m of water = 2000kg = 1ton.

How much is unaccounted for again............800+ cu/m [:'(]

[Dick Smith]

The point I was making was that it was a lot of water...

[powerdesal]

ErnieY,

Check your figures. 2000kg = 1 ton ??????? how about 1000kg = 1 ton    [:P]

[AnOther]

Quite right of course Steve, don't know where that came from [:$]

Perhaps because, being of a 'certain age', I am an Imperial man first and metric man second [;-)]

[ams]

Sounds to me that you have a very big leak. we just had our meter read and it came up as 220m3, that includes a s pool and we live here full time. Best bet is to turn off all appliances that use water for 12 hours, 24 would be better, take the reading before and after, then you will be sure if you have a leak or the meter is defective. If nothing shows, then it looks like theft, consult your insurance company, and arrange to have the local water company reduce your water pressure when you are not around.

 

ams

[bertie]

Thanks ams. The mystery has been solved. Since 2004 I have been sent estimates (although it did not say on the bills) and this year they read the meter. Since January I have only used 1 cu.m. so no leak. At least I now know where the meter is!

Thanks to all those who tried to help,

Eillen

[AnOther]

That still seems a mighty lot of water for 12-14 weeks PA, let's put to put it another way:

13 weeks x 4 years = 52 weeks

860cu/m /52 = 16.5cu/m per week

16.5cu/m / 7 = 2.36cu/m per day of occupancy

Begin to get my point ?

 

[Val_2]

Ah but there is a pool involved which surely must have been emptied and filled a few times over those years and you are charged for discharging if you are on the mains supply plus I would imagine holiday renters wouldn't be very frugal unless they are metered at home.

[AnOther]

Not according to the original post:

[quote user="eillen"]I had repair work to the pool so it had to be filled again but that was only about 40 cubic metres.[/quote]

As for holiday renters, apart from the fact that we don't know if this is holiday let, (and reading between the lines I don't think it is), at an average of say even 50lt a pop, a family of 6 showering three times a day would use 900lt which still leaves some 1400lt of the apparent daily consumption unaccounted for [8-)]

Incidentally I think poolguy will tell you that, except under dire or exceptionel circumstances, there should never be any need to drain and refill a pool [:D]