A Leak But No Water

[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:

 

[Rickster123]

Not a wc with a built in overflow?

 

[lame plumber]

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.

 

[Veggie Dave]

Not a wc with a built in overflow?

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.

check the roof tanks arent filling when your looking for a leak, common error.

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.

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

 

[Howsie]

WC is my bet if you can see all the pipe work.

 

[Veggie Dave]

WC is my bet if you can see all the pipe work.

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...

 

[snowhead]

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.

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?

 

[lame plumber]

u seem to be missing the fact it may be leaking on the underground section to the house

 

[Veggie Dave]

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

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.

u seem to be missing the fact it may be leaking on the underground section to the house

As I said, the entire system, barring the three feet of boxed-in pipework, is visible. There is no underground section after the meter.

 

[kay-jay]

u seem to be missing the fact it may be leaking on the underground section to the house

A leak before the house wouldn't make the meter spin would it?