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In support of why we need to continue installing water meters throughout the SCRD water district, I would like to share a recent experience.
In June 2014, I was contacted a friend to examine the hissing sound of water under his rented home in lower Davis Bay. Upon examination, I discovered a number of problems. Due to a faulty pressure reducer valve, the water pressure was very high at 155 PSI (it should be about 50 PSI) causing the water leak to be clearly audible. A pressure-drop test confirmed the leak, which was located in an inaccessible area under the floor of an un-permitted bathroom addition.
I contacted the landlord and explained the problem, but she chose not to fix the leak at that time, but rather just replace the pressure reducer valve. The corrected pressure caused the leak to be almost inaudible. Problem solved? Well, not quite.
In March 2016, the rental home was placed on the market and sold in a few days, but the landlord chose not to disclose the ongoing leak. When this problem was brought to the attention of the pending buyer, the leak was reluctantly repaired by the landlord. Rats had chewed a hole in the PEX piping. Tests on the repaired water line revealed that the pipe had been leaking at a rate of nearly one liter per minute. Thus, since discovery two years ago, that leak wasted over 250,000 gallons of water.
How many more ignored or undiscovered leaks exist in our homes due to leaky toilets, dripping taps, broken and deteriorating pipes, particularly in older homes with outdated construction materials and methods? Water meters allow us to discover and repair these leaks. Let’s find ‘em, summer’s coming.
Chuck Payne,
Davis Bay
