Article taken from Issue #4 of THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
Remember the talk about conserving water, and claims of 50% loss through leaks? We can’t tolerate leaks, can we?
We are reliably informed that staff in Irish Water’s (IW) call centre are on commission based on the number of appointments they make regarding leak investigation. This might explains the horror stories offered to many householders when contacted by IW to make such appointments.
The shock to householders was to be eased by the promise of ‘first fix free’, however, all is not what it seems – it never is with Irish Water.
Sub-contracted investigating crews each make about 30 inspections per week, 66% of these reveal leaks – they need to be repaired.
Some of these are within the bounding box containing the meter itself but are falsely reported as being on the homeowners property – this is done to ensure that the sub-contractor is paid by IW; but the homeowner loses their entitlement to a free ‘first fix’.
We have evidence showing that leaks less than 100ml over 10 minutes (itself an inadequate testing period) are commonly reported as either ‘fixed’ or non-existent – a system of ‘nods and winks’ is in place, known to both Irish Water and its sub-contractors – this is happening nationwide.
The implications of this are serious, regardless of where the leak is; it is against conservation and it exposes householders to possible future costs in repairs or in payments for leaked water if charges are forced on us; leaking water can also cause structural damage if not addressed in time.
Quantifying our example – a 100ml leak over 10 minutes is 2,250 Litres per annum – imagine the waste and also the cost of that?
Do your own Leak Test…
If IW have given you an ‘all clear’ you should test for leaks yourself. Call us on 021-2428310 or call any plumber for advice – it’s easy to check.
