Methods, equipment and water supply facilities for determining water consumption at a site

Abstract

A location (100) includes facilities (120) associated with a venue (102). The house is in the place (102). The water main (110) forms part of the water distribution network and is buried approximately 1 m below the road surface (112). A sleeve (114) extends from the upper portion of the water main and is in fluid communication with a first portion (116) of the service pipe at a depth typically approximately 0.75m, and it extends from the water main (110) below the walkway (118) . An outer shut-off tap or metering chamber (122) is located below the walkway (118) and includes a pivotable cover (124) that can be opened to provide access to the interior of the chamber (122). A first connector (126) is provided on the upstream side of the chamber and a second connector (128) is provided on the downstream side of the chamber. A shut-off tap or shut-off tap and metering assembly (130) is disposed within the chamber and is in fluid communication with the first connector and the second connector. Insulation (134), for example in the form of a piece of polystyrene, extends across the interior of the chamber (122) and serves to insulate the lower portion of the chamber from the environment above. A temperature recording device (160) is located on the insulation (134) and includes a first temperature sensor (162). Optionally, the temperature recording device may also include a second temperature sensor (164). The temperature of the portion of the water system between the water main (110) and the premises was recorded as a function of time. The recorded temperature over time was analyzed to determine the nature of the water consumption indicative of the site.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to liquid flow analysis, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatus and systems that can be used to understand water flow within a venue. Background technique [0002] There are many utilities that are commonly provided to homes and businesses. Such utilities include gas, electricity and water. Metering can be used at various locations in order to determine the amount of utility consumed at that location. While separate electricity and gas meters are fairly common for many establishments, separate water meters are less common. Leakage or escape of gas from supply systems or appliances within the premises is detectable due to odor. Electricity is not a fluid, and therefore in principle cannot leak or dissipate. [0003] Because many water systems are buried underground, many water leaks are not easy to spot or detect. Some leaks or escapes of water are clearly detectable, including leaks where the effect of the l...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Even though leaks are in principle found using acoustic techniques, this is not practical or economical in real-world situations due to the size of the water supply system and the need to perform an exhaustive search

Additionally, new leaks can occur at any time

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