Paphos Life

Hi All,
I have recently had my water supply disconnected at the meter. On enquiring at my Village Municipality it seems that a meter reading, they say, shows that I used 4000 tons of water in the last 3 month period for a 2 bed townhouse with a tiny garden, mostly paved, no pool. I have had a reg plumber in to check everything. He found no leaks inside/outside/or roof. So, the bill stands at €400. Has anyone else had anything like this happen? Oh by the way I have paid all previous bills!
Any advice?

Dee

We had similar with the electricity when we first moved to Polemi.

We had a meeting with the Electricity Board, and they were adamant that no mistake had been made. I was able to demonstrate to them though, that according to their own records, it meant that we had used negative electricity for a time. They eventually concluded that the engineer who took the reading had transposed to of the digits.

Bottom line is, mistakes do happen, and when it can be demonstrated that this is the case, you do get a refund.

Back in the day we had a massive bill, when we checked the meter was still turning, even when every tap was closed off and the tank on the roof was full, what transpired was we had a leak under the ground after the meter but before the house, so we were liable because it was on our side of the meter, check again that you dont have a leak.

I received a bill for €4,500, when we checked we found an underground leak which had been running for over six weeks without being noticed believe it or not. There is an emergency fund for these incidents and the village paid 50%. We now check the meter regularly.

Jim

A chap in Polemi had a water bill for around €1500.00.
He was out of the country for a lengthy period and when he came back a house had been built next door to him.
His normal bill was about €30.00 so, probably correctly ,he suspected the builders had used his water. He obviously challenged the bill and refused to pay.
His water was cut off and he was eventually taken to court. The judge told him it was his bill, he had no proof it wasn't and he had to pay. He continued to refuse to pay and was using water from a well. Bailiffs attended and eventually after pressure from his wife he paid up.
They then made him pay a deposit to have it reconnected.
This man still lives in Polemi.

A friend of mine had a similar problem, Dee. It turned out to be a faulty meter, probably a piece of grit causing the dial to turn suddenly and too much when the grit dislodged. A hefty discount was arranged - but you do have to query the bill officially in accordance with the advice on the bill, not just verbally in the village office, before paying and definitely before the due date.

Thanks for all the advice I’ve been given. Particularly that from Kay about her friends problem with a faulty meter. I will also check my water bill again.

Dee

So far, I have had 2 plumbers to inspect the water meter, the first one was an independent one who checked everything, inside house, roof, water tanks and outside.No leaks were found. Then the Municipality plumber arrived to check the meter reading. Both plumbers said the meter isn’t running. It is stationary when all taps are off. There is no way a 2 bed house with a shower which is a sole occupancy could have consumed so much water. Our complex manager said the water that had been used would fill 2 pools!... the bill is over 5 times my normal 3 mthly bill. There is no sign of anyone tapping into the water supply. The village now say they are waiting for their water meter reading employee to return from his holiday, next week.
Its all very upsetting and the size of the bill is worrying.
However my water meter is the most antediluvian looking one. But so far the village has resisted my suggestion that they should fit a new meter....
Dee

We have had two faulty water meters, eventually I fitted a pressure reducing valve before the meter, problem solved.....
But we had to pay for replacement meters and the PRV...

4000 tonnes seems a lot. Are you sure its not 400?

A pressure reduction valve might help as the water pressure is exceptionally high here. Hadn't thought of that. The only problem is that the Complex manager says that the houses need high water pressure because the house pipes are all silted up...probably mine is no exception. Is he right? Heh ho.

Dee

Since moving into my house in Kissonerga my water bi monthly water bills have been c.€25. The one before this was double & I put that down to a leaking pipe under my kitchen floor. Yesterday had latest bill, €891.45 SHOCK HORROR!!!! There are no obvious leaks, so I'm puzzled. HomeFixCyprus have leak detection equipment (not a hazel twig) and are coming today. I hope it's the meter and not a leak. If not then I'll try negotiating with the Community Council, after all the high charge rate is there as a disincentive to users against deliberate waste.

Any joy from Don Stevens ?

memory man wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 3:04 pm Any joy from Don Stevens ?

Don was due to come, but unfortunately he doesn't possess a 'hazel twig', but I discovered via yellow pages that a company based in Kissonerga, Steve of HomeFixCyprus does have one. I appear to have developed 2 leaks in my steel feed pipe. His theory is that the water pressure has in effect increased now that fewer people are here now (end of summer) and it's this greater pressure that's caused the 35yr old pipes to rupture. It's looking like I'm due for a replacement system!