University of Dundee
Business Stream’s expertise and technology help to identify and repair costly leak for University.
30 August 2021 Reading time: 4 minutes
After noticing a continuous increase in water consumption at one of the sites belonging to the University of Dundee, Business Stream helped locate and repair an invisible leak that could have cost the University upwards of £30,000 per year.
This incident clearly shows the benefit of AMR. It is the second occasion where we have used the leakage find and fix service and, on both occasions, I was very impressed with the speed in which the high-tech equipment was able to pinpoint the leak and the competence with which the operation was carried out in a safe and concise manner. Another point to note is, as the leak was detected with the water live, there was only a requirement for a short interruption to the water supply to repair the leak itself.
The challenge
The University of Dundee has installed automatic meter readers (AMR) at their larger sites to help them monitor their water usage. This includes one at their Riverside Playing Fields. While reviewing the AMR data, their dedicated Business Stream Account Manager noticed that water was continually running at this site at around 2,200 litres per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
No obvious signs of excessive water use were visible, suggesting that the leak could have been in the underground pipe network. The project was further challenged as the site includes a large turfed football pitch which is regularly used by a local professional football team for training. This meant that any physical investigation using traditional excavation methods would cause significant disruption.
The solution
Business Stream assured the University that they could trace the leak using sonic equipment above ground, ensuring that they would not have to dig holes across the site as part of the leakage investigation.
The sonic equipment identified the exact location of the leak at an embankment next to the pitch. The following day, a new isolation valve was installed to halt the leakage and a few days later the repair team excavated the spot and discovered a damaged pipe below. This was quickly and easily repaired within the same day and the leak was fixed – saving the University over £30,000 in unnecessary water charges, which would have been incurred if the issue hadn’t been fixed.
In addition to helping identify and fix the leak with minimal disruption, we also successfully applied to Scottish Water for a burst allowance. As a result, the University received a credit worth around £7,500, which more than covered the initial leak survey and repair costs.
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