Water leaks can damage buildings and send a lot of money down the drain.
In an effort to help customers better understand their water usage, Yarra Valley Water signed up about 1600 Craigieburn homes to test a small electronic device, attached to meters, which takes readings every half hour and sends the results to YVW’s database.
Managing director Pat McCafferty said the trial had already saved one customer about $200 a month.
“We’ve seen some amazing results where we’ve been able to detect a leak, notify the customer shortly after it started, and they’ve had the leak fixed the next day,” Mr McCafferty said. “One customer was losing $200 a month by paying for water that was leaking out of their pipes and ending up as an extra cost on their bill. Another customer had a leaking toilet, which he thought had been fixed, but it was actually seeping into the bedroom next door.”
The largest leak recorded so far was sending about 200 litres an hour down a drain. This had the potential to add $1600 a month to the customer’s bill. The customer was able to fix the leak on the same day.
“As well as detecting leaks, the device can also help our customers understand their usage,” Mr McCafferty said.
Water leak information is available online at www.yvw.com.au/leaktest
Helen Grimaux
