10 day search for water detectives!

Phil Black - PII Editor 05/06/2014

203 1 minute read

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Super-sleuth water engineers have finally located a faulty ‘talking’ valve after a 10-day search.

The valve was sending wrong information back to a control centre. As a result, hundreds of homes in Chestnut Drive, Congleton, were plagued with no tap water or low pressure for days.

The problem began when workmen repaired one leak – but were mystified when another one started further up the road almost straight away.

They fixed that one, but the same thing happened again, further away. And again …

United Utilities the owners said: “Every time our workmen fixed one leak, it would mythically pick-up legs, walk a few miles, and burst again. We’ve never experienced this unusual problem before.

“The Congleton valve had been sending us a few ‘porky pie’ messages.”

The faulty valve ‘decided’ the 6 inch pipe was not leaking, and automatically increased the water pressure. But this burst holes in other sections of the pipe.

Water engineers dubbed ‘detectives’ spent days working alongside their digital counterparts to find the elusive valve. They used smart phones, tablets and sophisticated eavesdropping systems.

The UU spokesman added: “The valve was telling us everything inside the local pipework was fine. But we knew better, and so did the residents.’

Customers have been warned that water may be discoloured initially when the network starts again.

During the investigation, water inspectors diverted thousands of litres of water to keep homes supplied.

The high-tech listening valves are used across the United Kingdom on water and gas networks.

These devices, often smaller than a Tesco or Asda plastic shopping bag, are buried deep underground ‘talk’ to monitor stations every 15-minutes.

They manage water pressure, ensuing that during peak demand there is always enough water when you turn on the tap.