How do they fit a water meter?

[Andehh]

Where our external stop cock is, we want to put a bike shed, a 7ft by 7ft sized one. 

 

I'll build it off a wooden deck, and have the shed over the stop cock housing, then cut a hole through the floor so you can access it from inside the shed.

 

It got me thinking though, the stop cock itself is about 2 ft down a 10-15" wide plastic tube, brass valve on blue pipe. 

 

It sits very very near the edge of our driveway, and a small bin store we have off the driveway. 

 

When they fit a water meter, will they need to excavate out the area, or can they do it all from inside the plastic tube? 

 

How do they shut off the water flow, to the stopcock itself? 

 

We built on a knock down of a 1970s property, so the builder/water company will have reused the water supply inbound. 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 05:11 by Andehh

[Alan Ambrose]

Suggest best course of action is to contact your water supplier and get the meter installed somewhere on the pipe where it’s not going to bother you. I don’t think having the stopcock or meter under your shed is going to work. They will generally read the meter without liaising with you and need access at any time. The meter will be a combined meter and stopcock assembly in a similar chamber to the one you have. I can’t imagine they can swap it without digging it up.

[Andehh]

We don't have a meter currently, only a manual stop cock isolation valve! 

[Alan Ambrose]

This is not complicated - suggest you need to get the water provider to move their stopcock - they may very well install a meter while they're about it.

[Conor]

The SC, if it is the main one the supply, is the property of the water company and the point at which ownership normally changes. It's usually on the public side, close to the boundary. I'm not sure if the one your are describing is the main one, or how your supply is routed.

 

Either way, make sure this one is accessible, if a meter were ever to be installed, it would be installed somewhere more accessible, in the public domain. 

 

Fyi a new meter is install is usually a small excavation, squeeze off of the existing supply, a new meter box, and a metre or so of new pipe, coupled to the existing pipe either side.

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 15:31 by Conor

[Andehh]

Interesting! Thanks very much all. 

 

The original bungalow had the stop cock in the bathroom nearest the point where the pipe entered the house. 

 

 Builder has disconnected It as part of the demolition, and reinstated it at the edge of our driveway, near our boundary. Image attached, you can see it in the corner of driveway/bin store paving area.

 

You can also see where I want to put the shed! 

 

I'm curious as to where the official stopcock is, and where our inbound blue pipe originates from. Wasn't an area of the build I kept an eye on, but I think there is a reasonable chance the builder just tapped into the pipe that existed from when original bungalow was built in the 70s. We then have a further isolation valve inside our utility room.

 

From the image the inbound supply runs directly under our bin store to the road beyond the bushes on the right hand side... But there is nothing in the road for several metres that's any sign of a meter or further junction. 

 

I don't want a water meter, so prefer not to go down the official loop yet. For now more asking out of curiosity. 

 

[Gone West]

12 hours ago, Andehh said:

Builder has disconnected It as part of the demolition, and reinstated it at the edge of our driveway, near our boundary. Image attached, you can see it in the corner of driveway/bin store paving area.

 

12 hours ago, Andehh said:

there is a reasonable chance the builder just tapped into the pipe that existed from when original bungalow was built in the 70s.

 

The builder must have turned the supply off in order to tap into the original pipe. Can't you ask the builder where he turned it off?

[dpmiller]

12 hours ago, Gone West said:

 

The builder must have turned the supply off in order to tap into the original pipe

or just done it live and got a bit wet...

[Gone West]

10 hours ago, dpmiller said:

or just done it live and got a bit wet...

I've capped central heating pipes live, but I wouldn't fancy doing high pressure mains 😁.

[-rick-]

1 hour ago, Gone West said:

I've capped central heating pipes live, but I wouldn't fancy doing high pressure mains 😁.

 

Don't cap it. Leave the other side open while you fit the stop cock then turn the stop cock off. Can be done without too much mess (outside).