Water Meters- Should We All Have One?

Theoddbird

Baggytrazzas I have a stand pipe near my mooring....I use a hose.

Hi thanks for coming back to me - I've no idea about boats - but as I've asked above to MerylStreep - - where does the water in the standpipe come from?

I'm curious about why some people assume that having more than one toilet should automatically use more water. No matter the size of your household or the number of toilets you have, surely the number of flushes will remain the same? Or am I missing something?

Theoddbird, so its the limited storage of the water on board that is the main factor in being careful of the usage? I can understand that.

I don't usually ask people how much they pay for things, but am curious. Do you have to pay anything for the water , ie is is part of your mooring charge, or if away from a marina , do you have to pay, like at a petrol pump?

Obviously your privileged enough not to medically need water. But as someone who is severely disabled who is reliant on water for medical reasons. Very low immune system, allergy to alcohol (so no I can't simply use alcohol hand gel) my family have to maintain a high level of cleanliness as well as relying on daily therapeutic bathes to aid extreme pain, without this I am literally locked up. Despite highest levels of morphine and other pain relief the only real relief is a hot bath to help move my body otherwise I'd be locked up and in agony permanently. That hour long bath on a night and morning is the only thing that enables me to move my body enough to prevent blood clots and permanent locking up. We lived in a home with a meter for three months, it got to where we couldn't afford to pay bills in that short time. Which then resulted in me going into hospital and thankfully gaining help to demand that the meter was removed under a medical excenption. So no a meter is not always a choice that's easily made.
Meters as it's learned with energy can also not be accurate. There is a new estate near me (5 years old round about) and the first few houses were fitted with meters. Then because the next two streets were housing association they decided against meters and opted for water rates. However those in the metered house began to get astronomical bills and couldn't understand why. Until a big investigation when it was realised that the water pipes were connect to the houses on water rates past the meter point meaning they were paying for the water that was used by those in the houses that didn't have meters. Despite the firm also being paid water rates for these houses anyway. Even after this was discovered they removed the meters from these few homes and resorted to water rates but still tried to chase these people for nearly two years of bills despite it being their fault.

I believe the only thing needed now is to de-privatise the water companies. Water shouldn't be a private business it should be government ran and astronomical prices for water meters regulated.

Water saving measures can be made by house builders and landlords. Our landlord fitted water saving devices to all our taps and showers and offered us free water barrels for plant watering or washing car etc. At present despite our area not being under a hosepipe ban I use my bath water to water my plants outside if there is nothing in my water butt I use bath water to fill it. When I feed my rabbit outdoor and change Thier water I tip any stale water into my water butt for watering garden. I try to limit water I use for dish washing and I set my washing machine to water saving mode. If everyone did simple things like this then we wouldn't be in this state.

Baggytrazzas Quote: I'm curious about why some people assume that having more than one toilet should automatically use more water.

Ha-ha, Yes I get your reasoning. When it's just the two of us at home I guess the number of flushes is the same. But when our AC and GC stay, usually 5 or 6 extra people, then the loos are in greater demand! Having said that, because of a health issue, I often need to flush the loo 20-30 times a day , which I imagine is quite a lot of water!

In the South West we pay more water rates to pay for tourism...I pay far less with a meter than I did on water rates...so worry about usage far less. In fact I never stop and think 'will it be expensive to...'

Happysexagenarian

Baggytrazzas Quote: I'm curious about why some people assume that having more than one toilet should automatically use more water.

Ha-ha, Yes I get your reasoning. When it's just the two of us at home I guess the number of flushes is the same. But when our AC and GC stay, usually 5 or 6 extra people, then the loos are in greater demand! Having said that, because of a health issue, I often need to flush the loo 20-30 times a day , which I imagine is quite a lot of water!

Yes, but if you only had the one toilet, and your family staying, the number of flushes would be the same, just the queues would be longer!! And same with your health issue - it would be as many as you needed it to be, whether one toilet or more?

I think a lot of people assume big house/more than 1 toilet equals more water being used. It won't necessarily mean that at all.

Thank goodness though that most of us no longer have to queue. I used to have to ask everyone in the house if they needed in to the one toilet/bathroom before I went for a bath, and inevitably I would only just have got into the water when someone would knock on the door " needing in". lol

Baggytrazzas
Don’t think Calendar Girl said no charge for water, I think she said no charge to install a meter in England.

the stand-pipes tap into the mains, just as when there is a problem and people have to queue in the streets at stand-pipes.

Water always comes in with your mooring fees. Same applies when sailing in France, Holland etc.

MerylStreep

Water always comes in with your mooring fees. Same applies when sailing in France, Holland etc.

Hi that's what I thought, thanks.

I admit that I gave up reading all entries when I got halfway through - 32 degrees temperature has mushed my brain.

Just thought I would say that everyone pays for water, but it seems to vary according to where you live and which Water Company you are with. Mine is Thames Water ( of ill fame) and until about 5 years ago we didn't have meters but just paid a set amount monthly, presumably decided by the size
of dwelling.
We were then told that meters were going to be installed - we had no choice in the matter. I gained, as I live on my own, whereas larger households presumably lost.

Am expecting a hosepipe ban any time soon, but haven't been using it anyway apart from watering some hanging flower bags - but only becasue its easier to poke a hosepipe in rather than a watering can.

Incidentally, has anyone a suggestion of how I could use my washing up bowl water? I'm pretty ancient, arthritic and not very steady on my feet, plus I have to navigate 2 doors and 2 steps to get from kitchen to garden. Any attempts have ended up with kitchen floor being watered far more than anywhere else. I tried filling a bucket, but if I try to pour water in it's the floor that gets most again, and if I try to use a pan or jug to transfer the water it takes ages, with inevitable splashes again!

No mains water, no meter but have to pay extraction fee for using my borehole. Lovely cold, clean water. However I am also careful how I use water as my source of water is still governed by rainfall replenishing the ground water catchments.

rowyn, sorry, but I'm LOL at the mental picture of you and your washing up water!

Thank goodness though that most of us no longer have to queue. I used to have to ask everyone in the house if they needed in to the one toilet/bathroom before I went for a bath

Is it really true that most homes now have more than one bathroom/toilet? That scenario's still familiar here - I hadn't realised we were such dinosaurs!

I'm giving it some thought now. When I go to my reading group four of us have two or more loos, only two of us don't. But of my children, who all have lovely homes, only one does. The others live in old houses like ours that aren't too easy to adapt. It doesn't bother me at all now there's just the two of us, but I would have appreciated a downstairs loo when we were five.

MamaB247 I must admit to my shame that I hadn't even thought about people with disabilities who need much more water - I was focussed more on young families. I'm glad that you could at least get rid of the meter.

Maggiemaybe

^Thank goodness though that most of us no longer have to queue. I used to have to ask everyone in the house if they needed in to the one toilet/bathroom before I went for a bath^

Is it really true that most homes now have more than one bathroom/toilet? That scenario's still familiar here - I hadn't realised we were such dinosaurs!

I'm giving it some thought now. When I go to my reading group four of us have two or more loos, only two of us don't. But of my children, who all have lovely homes, only one does. The others live in old houses like ours that aren't too easy to adapt. It doesn't bother me at all now there's just the two of us, but I would have appreciated a downstairs loo when we were five.

Hi, I was thinking that the lack of queueing might be down to a combination of more toilets and of less people per household?

I'm not sure tbh but I don't often hear many people complaining of others " banging on the door" .

rowyn, the only thing i can think of is to divert the waste pipe, so it runs into the garden, but you would need to take expert advice on that from a proper plumber.

Ah, I see. Nobody banged on the door when I was in the bath. I had them well trained.

It’s usually cheaper when metered unless you have a large or wasteful family.
A friend who lives in an apartment block can’t get one because the water is delivered to the whole block and then piped to individual flats, all paying the same set price. He lives alone, as do I and his water charges are four times higher than mine.

Baggytrazzas, I'm delighted to know that I've made someone chuckle.

Thanks welbeck. Keen as I am to be sparing with water, I 'tdon;t think my pocket is going to stretch to getting a workman in to move the waste pipe any time soon!

PS As a child I lived in Doncaster, in a road with a very similar name to your nom de plume, and there was a Welbeck road nearby. Just wonderig.......

If you have a large family then better not to have one, if just one or two then a water meter is best. Lived with and without one. As a personal opinion have a water meter and try and save water.

Baggytrazzas it is included in mooring charge. Mind you it took hours to fill tank as pressure silly low. I think many could learn from boaters about using less water...hahaha

Theoddbird
It could be worse. Winter when the standpipes freeze up ?