News
£3.5m Water Leak Repair Investment From Yorkshire Water
Water company Yorkshire Water has announced that it will be investing £3.5 million to reduce water leaks across its network, helping to save millions of litres of water by replacing pipework in around 1,500 properties in parts of the region that are hotspots for leakage.
Head of demand management with the supplier Martyn Hattersley explained that the aim is to reduce overall leakage by 50 per cent by 2050 and working alongside customers to fix private pipes will reduce leakage significantly, helping the company to reach its goal.
He went on to say: “During the colder winter months, pipes are more susceptible to freezing, cracking and leaking. It’s important to keep an eye on any exposed pipe work in and around your home – wrap it in lagging if you can and get it fixed as soon as possible if it does burst. It helps to save water and protect your home.”
Yorkshire Water ran a similar scheme in Kirklees back in 2019, replacing the pipework in 366 homes and consequently saving half a million litres of water per day.
There are various ways in which you can tell you might have a potential leak onsite, whether that’s suddenly experiencing a drop in water pressure, see damp patches on the ground, have noisy pipework or have very high meter readings.
If you have a water meter, you can check to see if you have a leak by turning off all the taps and making sure no water goes into cisterns or storage tanks. Take a meter reading and leave the water turned for an hour, then take another meter reading. If the second is higher than the first, you could have a leak onsite.
For businesses, the water leak repair process typically involves a water audit, with a full analysis of water bills carried out over the last 12 months or more. The idea is to look for spikes in water usage and wastewater management charges, which should reveal if there is a leak at the property, as well as how severe it is.
Once the audit has been carried out, leak detection can then be conducted across the entire site to find all the leaks that could potentially be costing your business money.
A report is then sent out with the findings, as well as the costs for repair. From there, excavation work can be undertaken, with faulty pipework repaired and all surfaces reinstated that have been disturbed, leaving the site looking untouched.
Some three billion litres of water are lost through leaks in England every day, so prioritising repair work can make a hugely significant difference where water conservation is concerned. If you’d like to find out if you do have a leak on your premises, get in touch with the team here at H2o Building Services today.