Water leak

leesider

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There is a water leak on the side of the road right beside where my water meter is. I reported it to Irish Water on the 8th June. I think the leak started about a week before that but I didn't see it until then. The house is in the countryside, there is a ditch separating the property from the road and there is a short driveway from the road to the house. The leak is on the road side of the ditch.

I don't think the leak is my responsibility because it is in a "mains" water leak so I can't really go digging up the side of the road. Also, my neighbours water meter is within a couple of feet of the leak so I risk damaging their meter or water supply if I go near it. It looks like the leak is on the pipe that is coming from my neighbours meter to mine. The water from the leak is flowing into where the water meter is (both mine and my neighbours) so we can't even read the meter to see how much is leaking. It fills up with water as soon as you scoop it out. I was able to read it at the start and I estimate there is three times the normal amount of water being consumed as a result of the leak.

When I reported it to Irish Water they told me that the Council had been notified and there was a work order set up for it. I have made a follow up call to Irish Water since and also visited my local county council office to report it. My neighbour has also reported it to Irish water and the county council. Obviously my next water bill will be massive.

I had a leak about a year ago that was on my property and I repaired it but it was leaking for a good while before I spotted it. I got a massive bill as a result but I told Irish Water that was because of the leak and they gave me a leak allowance (they actually knocked off a lot more off the bill than the should have).

Is it normal to have a leak left like this for so long without it being repaired? I was asked when I reported it was it leaking into a property (it isn't; it is just flowing down the road). Maybe that is why it is not being repaired. It's been almost a month now so I am concerned. I'd say I will get the amount it leaked knocked off the bill but still I am a bit anxious about the whole thing.
 
Sureley if the leak is before your water meter, it will not be counting the leaked water

The meter counts the water going into your property - if the leak is on your property, then you can repair it, no?
 
Is it normal to have a leak left like this for so long without it being repaired?

Pipes have been leaking for decades. Well run private schemes taken over by councils have lapsed into disrepair. Irish Water has made no difference other than to add another level to the bureaucracy and add to the cost.
 
Irish water notify your local council and unless you don’t have any water you get in the queue - they don’t seem to prioritize leaks.
 
What area of the country are you in? . If you tell them the leak is affecting pressure in your home they will generally act faster
 
Irish Water has made no difference other than to add another level to the bureaucracy and add to the cost.

AFAIK they’ve reduced the amount of water loss from leaks from about 60% to 40% but this is still much higher than the European average in the teens.
 
Sureley if the leak is before your water meter, it will not be counting the leaked water
That's the weird thing about it. I turn off the valve at night (it is in the same place as the meter) and the water still leaks; you can see if flowing down the road. The meter reading doesn't go up when the valve is closed. When I turn it back on in the morning the reading increases (as a result of water being consumed normally and the leak).


The meter counts the water going into your property - if the leak is on your property, then you can repair it, no?

The leak is not on my property, it is on the side of the road, outside the ditch.
 
Well it's been fixed anyway. My neighbour knows somebody in the council and rang him about it. It was fixed within a couple of days.
I know this person as well but I didn't really want to ask him because I'm sure he has all sorts of people asking him to fix potholes, leaks etc. all the time.
It just goes to show that asking Irish Water to fix a leak is a complete and utter waste of time. I might as well have asked the wall.
Now I must see about getting a leak allowance off my bill.
 
It is not Irish Water fault they can't fix leaks

They were not allowed to manage the water infrastructure themselves - that job belongs to the County Councils

The unions made sure that their members would not be transferred from County Council jobs to jobs with Irish Water

Just another mess left over from the Irish Water debacle - a sorely needed national organisation but it fell foul of local and national politics and sheer incompetence in setting it up
 
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