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Thread ID: 128922	2013-01-23 22:44:00	Watercare Rort	pctek (84)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1324600	2013-01-23 22:44:00	My water bill has gone from around $60 a month to $139. This is because of the garden watering. I don't object to the water charge but they are charging me 78% of the water use for wastewater - at $2.28kl. So another words.......the water on the garden is being charged as if it were going down the waste drains also. When it was part of the rates, wastewater was a fixed charge of around $450 a year. So now it's doubled. I contacted watercare who say they have numerous calls about it. What are they going to do? They say I can get a water tank - sure, I don't have the thousands of dollars for one of them. I know what they cost... Or I can get a second meter hooked up so that it just monitors water use to hoses, and therefore would not occur the water charge. Excellent, went off and checked prices. The Socam 20mm meter (they use) is $144.50 + GST. Ring them back, no, we are not allowed to install it ourselves, we must have them do it. So I have to apply and get a quote. Quote is: WATER METER FOR IRRIGATION $1,180.00 WATER AND/OR WASTEWATER CONNECTION PROCESSING $122.61 Total <Excl GST> $1,302.61 GST (15%) $195.39 Total After Tax $1,498.00 This quote after ridiculous emails back and forth asking me to send drawings, mark where it shhould go (I don't have a choice, they specify where it must go), and then get me to mark where the existing meter is on their photo. I do this and remind them they know this already, they read it every 2 months. Why the price on quote? Well the meter must have a backflow device. Actually, no it doesn't, they just insist it does. Also this does not include the pipes from the meter to our hoses, we have to arrange this with our plumber. So add that onto it to. So why the price? Because. Bloody ripoff. Husband rang them and one other thing they said, was as our section is only 500sqm, we couldn't have much of a garden anyway. See here for pics: www.gpforums.co.nz That's not all of it either.	pctek (84)
1324601	2013-01-23 23:45:00	There was an icemaker in ET complaining about the same thing. What we need in the next local body elections are candidates that would change the freshers and waste water charges to something fair.	prefect (6291)
1324602	2013-01-23 23:51:00	. See here for pics: www.gpforums.co.nz That's not all of it either. You missed a weed on the beans row.	prefect (6291)
1324603	2013-01-23 23:55:00	There was an icemaker in ET complaining about the same thing. What we need in the next local body elections are candidates that would change the freshers and waste water charges to something fair. Won't happen. They'll promise the world but once in it's the same old cost plus mentality of these public servants..	paulw (1826)
1324604	2013-01-24 00:30:00	You missed a weed on the beans row. :lol: ****. I'll get right onto it. Yeah...I saw the Herald article, Watercare have loads of complaints, it's a con...apparently it's "Councils Watercare" too.Hmmmmmmm	pctek (84)
1324605	2013-01-24 01:38:00	Watercare are a bit distracted at the moment. They have a major research program that is diverting their best minds and absorbing considerable capital. They confidently expect that within two or maybe ten years they may be able to produce a locally made substitute for seawater so we no longer require to import it. This can then be used as feedstock for their proposed desalination plant.	R2x1 (4628)
1324606	2013-01-24 02:21:00	When they chuck us on meters I'm putting the bore back in and running our tank/filtration system for the grounds. We are semi rural so the water use is a bit higher than those in town, not on meters yet but it's bound to happen. When it does I'm helping the neighbours reinstate their RAM pump to bring the spring water up to a header tank (180m head height) and installing a solar battery to provide pressure for the house. In the name of ecology I'll probably set up the tanks for grey water too and just keep town supply for drinking/cooking. Depending on the metering charges I might just increase the rating and throughput of the filters and just run off the rain/bore. As for their charges, $1k to install a meter? bunch of f******!!!	The Error Guy (14052)
1324607	2013-01-24 02:43:00	Those Ram pumps are cool. My Uncle has one running in the Graham River not much fall but good volume pumps water up to a tank on the hill and it gravities down. Can hear it clacking away at night when its still. Saw a home made one on Auckland Islands for coast watchers. There were some clever buggers around in the old days.	prefect (6291)
1324608	2013-01-24 03:17:00	My water bill has gone from around $60 a month to $139. This is because of the garden watering. Why the price on quote? Well the meter must have a backflow device. Actually, no it doesn't, they just insist it does. Also this does not include the pipes from the meter to our hoses, we have to arrange this with our plumber. So add that onto it to. So why the price? Because. Bloody ripoff. Husband rang them and one other thing they said, was as our section is only 500sqm, we couldn't have much of a garden anyway. See here for pics: www.gpforums.co.nz That's not all of it either. There must be a lot of garden not shown if you're only watering every 3 or 4 days and averaging about 1300 litres/day. If you've got a "plumber" sounds like Mr pctek has given it away. He should still be able to sanity check the alleged usage. Many councils require backflow prevention on irrigation why not Auckland?	PaulD (232)
1324609	2013-01-24 03:49:00	Dunno what it costs but I've seen a DIY rainwater tank that tees into a downpipe in bunnings. Might be worth a look. Useful for the Zombie apocalypse also.	dugimodo (138)
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