The problem
Most companies don’t know they have a problem until they receive a substantial bill that they must pay for past water usage. Current water meters do not provide real- time monitoring and do not have the ability to turn off the water if an issue is detected. This means companies have no reliable means to understand their water usage or ways to reduce their costs. Current plumbing systems do not provide you with any indication of a leak until you can either see the water or the damaged caused. We have saved our customers 10’s of thousands on their water bills, water damage and insurance premiums.
SMART FLOW
We are a professional tech water management company who specialise in water monitoring, conservation and leak detection. Providing you with real time usage of water within your property via your mobile App or dashboard.
Our SMART FLOW system sends alerts and notification for excessive usage and water leaks. It allows you to turn the water off remotely or automatically if an issue is detected.
We also provide you with historical water usage to track water usage behaviours.
How to check for leaks using your existing water meter
To do this test you will need to be able to safely access the inside stop valve and the water meter for your property. Your water will need to be turned off for about two hours to complete each check correctly. The longer you can leave the meter off the smaller leak you can potentially find.
- Make sure all your water-consuming appliances (washing machine, dishwasher etc) are switched off.
- If you have a cold water tank, make sure it is filled to capacity.
- Turn off your inside stop valve. To check if it can correctly switched off, turn on your kitchen tap – no water should flow.
- Take a note of your meter reading. Your meter has dials that are divided into two sections, a black section and a red section. If your meter has a clear lid which covers the dials you must firstly lift the lid in order to see these dials. Read the dials from left to right taking note of all the digits in the black dials and the digits in the red dials.
- Wait for two hours.
- After two hours, return to the water meter and take a second meter reading.
- If the meter reading is the same, you have proved there is no leak from the outside meter into your inside stop valve.
- If there is a difference between your first and second water meter readings, you should contact Irish Water as this may indicate a leak on your external supply pipe.
- To test your pipe work within your building, now open the internal stop valve. Take a meter reading to confirm it is the same.
- Now turn off the outside meter and wait another 2 hours.
- After 2 hours open the external water meter and take a reading
- If the meter reading is the same, you have proved there is no leak inside your property.
- If there is a difference between your first and second reading, this may indicate you have a leak within your property. Contact your plumber to investigate.
Checking for leaks
Use these four simple checks to see if you may have an internal plumbing issue in your business or home. These are especially useful if your water meter is indicating a leak at your property.
- Check the toilet
• Listen. Is there a constant sound of water running from any of the toilet cisterns in your home?
• Check for a stream of water running inside the toilet as this could be a sign that you have a leak.
• Condensation. If you see condensation on your toilet this can indicate it is constantly filling. - Check the water storage tank
• Listen. Your water storage tank is usually located in the attic. Can you hear it refilling even when water-consuming appliances are not in use such as a tap, washing machine or toilet? It’s useful to carry out this check at night when it’s quiet.
• Check for signs of water coming from overflow pipes leading from the water storage tanks. - Check the taps
• Listen. Can you hear a tap dripping constantly?
• Check all your household and external garden taps for drips. A dripping tap can waste over 1,500 litres of water per year and can generally be repaired by replacing the washer. - Check water-consuming appliances
Check all your water consuming appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers for plumbing issues. This includes dripping joints or leaking supply hoses.
• Check pipes for constant condensation. This shows you have a constant flow of water which may be linked to a leak or faulty appliance.
How to help save around 30% on your water usage bill
- Install isolation valves on all water feeds to sinks located in the kitchen and bathroom areas. Then restrict the flow of water using the isolation valves to an acceptable flow to each.
- If your property has older style toilet cisterns that use 8L of water or more ,reduce the amount of water in the cistern by adjusting the ball valve.
- Install waterless urinals or put them on a timer. Do not let them flow at night time when the property is not in use.
- Install sensor taps. They will only run as long as the user has their hand under the tap.
- Train staff on their role in water conservation. Signage in staff areas helps to remind staff to turn off taps. Encourage them to spot and report leaks.
- Raise awareness with customers by having signs in bathrooms.
- Nominate a staff member to take a meter reading twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening. This will allow you benchmark excessive days and help address any issues.
Examine hot water wastage
Hot water can cost 6 to 10 times more than cold water. So reducing hot water consumption can save you a lot of money.
Simple measures like keeping the plug in the sink can make a big difference.
A pot-wash sink tap uses approximately 20 litres per minute. If left running with no plug in the sink for five minutes every hour, it can waste up to 1,700 litres of water per day. That’s 620,500 litres per year.
This means a cost of €1,800 a year for cold water and €10,000 a year for hot water.
Example
A 1,000m3 leak (less than 2L/m ) could cost an average of €2,280 whereas hot water could cost €13,680 to €22,800.
Sub-metering
Sub-metering relays all data managed in the cloud with alarms sent when consumption exceeds acceptable levels. Payback on sub meters can be very quick as they allow you to identify poor behaviour and reduce consumption. When employees know that they are being measured their performance alters.
SMART FLOW is here to help with any water related issues. We have years of plumbing background experience and we love advising property owners on way’s they can help secure their properties from plumbing leaks along with saving money on your water bill.
