Water meter "running", but it is "air" caused by the disaster?

Event playback:

Miss Shi in Fuzhou accidentally found that her water fee in the off-season far exceeded that in the peak period. She complained in many ways. The water company sent people to investigate several times. Some said that the pipes at home were leaking, some asked to replace the water meter, and some said that a check valve needed to be installed. In order to prove that there is no water leakage in the pipeline, debate who should check the water meter, and confirm whether the installation of the check valve should be the responsibility of her own family, Miss Shi has repeatedly challenged the water company, and she is exhausted physically and mentally. In fact, it is the air entering the pipeline that causes the water meter to run randomly, which has much to do with the "separation of pipe building" in the secondary water supply. After the reporter intervened, the water company returned a thousand yuan water fee to Miss Shi and installed the check valve for free. At the same time, Southeast China Netcom interviewed experts in the industry for in-depth analysis, put forward suggestions for the thorough solution of such problems, and offered advice for urban secondary water supply users to understand consumption and solve problems.

Detailed report:

Miss Shi showed her water and electricity bill passbook, which showed that the water bill increased sharply in March and April. Photographed by Feng Xu, reporter of Southeast Net

On September 4, 2018, Southeast China. com (our reporter Feng Xuwen/photo) "The owner went abroad for five months, and the empty house used 200 tons of water" has not yet faded out of people's sight. Miss Shi in Fuzhou has recently encountered a similar mystery - her home's water fees in the off-season far exceeded the peak water use period, and after many setbacks, it was discovered that the air entering the pipeline caused the water meter to "run". [Message Details]

How many water bills are actually "air bills"? The order of careful thinking is shocking. The reporter found that this is only one of the problems caused by the secondary water supply in the town.

The water meter "ran around" and paid 1300 yuan "air fee" in two years

Miss Shi lives in Tongshan Community in Fuzhou. She told reporters that every New Year's Eve, her family has to do a lot of cleaning, cooking and entertaining. In this case, 32 tons of water is shared in January and February. In the usual March and April, the total water consumption of her home reached 59 tons, and in May, 37 tons were used in a month.

"When the New Year is over, the water consumption increases sharply?" Miss Shi doubts. She checked the water rate passbook and found that the monthly water consumption of her family was more than 30 tons throughout 2016; The higher record was in September and October 2015, when 86 tons of water were shared.

To find out, on May 26, Miss Shi closed the water valve and all water supply switches in her home, and found that the black turntable in the center of the water meter was still turning. After reporting to the water supply company, three groups of people came to inspect the water meter. Some said that her pipes were leaking, some asked her to replace the water meter, and some said that the air in front of the meter caused the water meter to idle. It was recommended to install a check valve to prevent the water meter from rotating. In order to prove that there is no water leakage in her pipe, debate who should check the water meter if there is a problem, confirm whether the check valve is installed in front of or behind the meter, and who should install it, Miss Shi is physically and mentally exhausted. It was not until more than a month later that Miss Shi reported the problem to the governor's mailbox that the water company finally installed a check valve for her in July.

At the beginning of August, Ms. Shi received a water fee notice indicating that her water consumption in July was only 18 tons. Compared with the previous high water consumption, Miss Shi found that she had been paying for "air".

Ms. Lin, from the Operation Management Department of Fuzhou Water Investment Development Co., Ltd., told Ms. Shi that the problem of water meter idling is common, especially in old residential areas and high-rise households that have not been transformed by household meters. But Miss Shi questioned: "Knowing that there are many problems, why don't you warn users in advance, or install check valves first? Let users unknowingly pay more water bills, let the water supply enterprises quietly benefit improperly, what's the difference between this and consumer fraud?"

After negotiation, Fuzhou Municipal Water Supply Company has agreed to calculate and refund the extra water fees collected by Miss Shi from July 2016 to June 2018 based on the monthly water consumption of 18 tons. According to Miss Shi's estimation, this amount of water is about 286 tons, and the refund should be about 1300 yuan.

Miss Shi's water meter has been installed with a check valve. Photographed by Feng Xu, reporter of Southeast Net

Frequent complaints about urban residential water use

The reporter noticed that many urban users were troubled by abnormal water use.

In May this year, Shanghai Jiading TV Station reported the event that the owner used 200 tons of water in his empty house five months after going abroad. After some investigation, it was found that the "culprit" was the air in the pipe. In Harbin, thousands of miles away, the experience of Liu Wenhui, a citizen, was also exposed by the media in April this year. Liu Wenhui was puzzled by the 4800 yuan water bill, and later found that the water meter was also running when there was no water at home. It turns out that both parties live in the high-rise, and the high-rise users use secondary pressurized water supply. When they stop using water at home, the air generated by other household water is discharged into their own pipes, which will easily promote the rotation of the water meter. "This situation is related to the gas accumulation and water pressure of the pipeline, and the pipeline design as well as the quality and management of the pressurized equipment may be the incentives." An engineer surnamed Wu from Quanzhou Municipal Public Utilities Administration analyzed.

In addition to "air", dripping, sprinkling and leakage of pipes often cause water meters to "run around". Last December, the water meter reading of Ms. Li's home, a citizen of Chengdu, exceeded 30000 cubic meters and the water fee was nearly 90000 yuan, which caused a great stir in the local area. Ms. Li is the only person living in the house with sky high water charges. According to the per capita water consumption of 63.2 cubic meters in Chengdu in 2015, this amount of water is enough for a person to use for 504 years! According to the inspection and judgment of the waterworks, the water leakage was caused by the water pipe before entering the house, and the water leakage was closely related to the quality of the pipe.

Compared with the "running around" of water meters, water quality safety is more worrying. Recently, the news that residents of Huqian Community, directly under the authority of Fuzhou City, drink "Yellow River water" every day has caused waves on the Internet. Residents of this community reported that the drinking water is yellow, sediment, and sometimes smelling bad. The Fuzhou Water Supply Company told the truth that the water supply pipes in the community are all galvanized pipes, and the inner wall is severely corroded. This kind of pipe was banned as early as 2000 from the indoor water supply pipes of new urban houses.

There are also residents in Lianjian Xinyuan, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Huangting Danjun, Changle District and other communities who are also worried about the water quality. The water supply unit confirmed that Lianjian Xinyuan Community was constructed with non-standard pipes, which began to rust and fall off within a few years, causing yellow and smelly water quality; The basement and ground plane water supply pipes of Huangting Danjun Community are galvanized pipes. In addition, the recent salt tide corrosion of Minjiang River has led to yellow water quality. To solve the problem, it is necessary to renovate the poor quality pipeline.

Similar situations are no longer unique. The reporter searched Fuzhou 12345 service platform and found that since last year, there have been 86 complaints related to the quality of tap water, and 1098 complaints related to water meters, of which a large number of netizens mentioned the abnormality of water meters, water leakage of tap water pipes, and the problem of one household one meter transformation.

Conflict caused by separation of secondary water supply construction and management due to unclear rights and responsibilities

Whether the water meter is "running" or the water quality is yellow, users often blame the water company. But in the view of the water department, the water company is actually a bit "unjust".

Ms. Lin from Fuzhou Water Investment and Development Co., Ltd. told the reporter that the urban water supply network is only built outside the community. The community is stored, pressurized, and then piped to each household, which is called secondary water supply. The secondary water supply facilities in the new community are all constructed by the developer and maintained by the property company. The water company will take over the water supply facilities after the developer proposes to hand them over and passes the acceptance. After receiving the water supply company, it will gradually carry out household meter transformation, update the pipe network, and ensure the safety of user water.

When the construction right is handed over to developers, corresponding problems arise. "For a set of water pumps, some manufacturers sell 1 million yuan, and some manufacturers only sell 200000 yuan, so the quality is obviously different. Different water supply pipes have different materials and different performance. Stainless steel pipes and PPR pipes go from sky to earth." Wu, an engineer from Quanzhou Municipal Public Utilities Administration, pointed out that some developers use poor quality materials in order to control costs; Some developers outsource the secondary water supply project, and the professional standards of the construction teams are different; The strength of the design unit is also strong and weak. When encountering foreign design companies, they may not understand the local situation. In addition, in the later stage of operation, the property company lacks professional experience in maintenance and management, and all kinds of factors together are likely to affect the quality of water supply.

For example, engineer Wu said that in some communities, the water tank is too large, which causes the residual chlorine in the water to disappear, and it is difficult to ensure the safety of water quality. Ms. Lin revealed that the use of U-shaped pipes instead of straight pipes at some locations of the pipeline may be one of the incentives for the idling of the gas gathering water meter of the pipeline.

A person in charge of the technology department of Quanzhou Water Supply Company once told the media that they often received complaints from citizens about water use, but the water supply company was neither the construction party nor the management party of secondary water supply facilities at that time, so it was difficult to solve the fundamental problem. Relevant reports pointed out that according to the Property Law, the property right of the secondary water supply facilities in the community belongs to all owners, but the water supply department needs to use the facilities to supply water. The constructor does not use and the user does not build. This contradiction of rights, responsibilities and interests has brought about such practical problems as jerry building, different standards, water supply interruption, abnormal water quality and so on of the secondary water supply facilities, which ultimately affect the vital interests of users.

Reporter's notes

How to solve the "congenital deficiency" of secondary water supply?

Integration of construction and management or general trend

□ Southeast Net reporter Feng Xu

During the interview, many insiders mentioned that "building management integration" means that the construction and maintenance of secondary water supply facilities are entrusted to the water supply unit. In the view of the relevant person in charge of Fujian Provincial Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development, this model is the trend of the times.

It is conceivable that when the constructors of facilities become users and maintainers at the same time, there must be more long-term consideration and less quick success and instant benefit in the construction process. As a professional organization, water supply units are familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of different materials, design, construction and management methods of secondary water supply facilities, and can avoid many hidden dangers and avoid many detours by focusing on related matters.

On February 17, 2015, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development, the National Development and Reform Commission and other four ministries jointly issued a notice encouraging water supply enterprises to implement unified construction and management. Hangzhou, Suzhou and other cities have already started, attracting research and experience from all over the country. Wang Hangzhou, General Manager of the Water Supply Business Department of Zhuhai Water Affairs Group, once introduced to the media that the water supply situation in cities that have achieved the "integration of construction and management" has been greatly improved. First, natural pipe explosion rarely occurs. Second, the quality, pressure and quantity of residential water have been effectively guaranteed. Third, the leakage rate of the pipe network is extremely low.

Fujian Province has also conducted pilot projects in recent years, and intends to incorporate the "integration of construction and management" model into legislation. However, the unified construction and management of one unit is prone to monopoly and poor service. The Regulations on Urban and Rural Water Supply in Fujian Province, issued last July, finally adopted a "dual track system" in which two modes coexist, that is, the new urban residential water supply facilities can be built by the water supply unit, funded by the construction unit, or built by the construction unit or the property owner Water supply unit check design scheme. The specific construction depends on how the local regulations are formulated.

The industry has different views on this. Some people suggested that professional people should be allowed to do professional things. The water supply unit should not only be in charge of it, but also be afraid of monopoly. It is difficult to solve the problem by worrying about gains and losses. Some people believe that the loosening of policies has already conveyed the attitude of the government, but the local government still needs to straighten out slowly. At that time, the "integration of construction and management" may come naturally. Some people also see through the organs. It doesn't really matter who builds them. The key is to implement the construction standards.

No matter left or right, we should not slack off in our current work. On the issue of Miss Shi, the early disposal of relevant units was not ideal. One job is hard to do, why do you have two jobs? When the mechanism reform starts to break the ice, all departments should be more conscientious, show their due responsibilities, and practically improve their business capabilities.

Three Questions about Water Use of Urban Secondary Water Supply Users

How do you know if your water bill has been overcharged?

I usually pay attention to my water bill with some care, and check whether there are abnormal fluctuations in combination with seasonal changes and population conditions. If a family of five keeps at about 30 tons per month, that is a relatively normal consumption. If in doubt, you can also turn off the main valve to see if the water meter will still rotate.

What should be done if abnormal water consumption is found?

In case of abnormal water consumption, first check whether there is water leakage in your own pipes. Water pipe dripping, floor or wall getting wet without reason, and continuous water flow in the toilet are common signs of water leakage. After confirming that there is no water leakage in the pipeline, report the abnormal situation to the water supply company, and the water supply company will arrange professionals to check and confirm on site.

Who should be responsible for water problems?

1. The user shall be responsible for the pipeline problems from the water meter to the indoor.

2. If the pipeline in front of the table leaks, the responsibility shall be divided according to local regulations. In Fuzhou, the water supply company is responsible for the communities taken over by the water supply company and the communities undergoing the transformation of household meters (excluding the households above the 9th floor). The property management company is responsible for the high-rise users above the 9th floor and the communities that the water supply company has not received or made the transformation of household meters.

3. If a check valve needs to be installed to prevent the water meter from idling, it is generally paid by the user. The water company should install it on behalf of the user, or install it after reporting to the water company.

4. Abnormal water quality shall be reported to the water company.