Roskilde, Denmark

Permanent listening equipment on water pipes saves Fors A/S customers from water breakdowns, while the company also gets cheaper maintenance. The result is tangible: ”The areas where there used to be several breaks per year, practically no longer exist; the bad water pipes have been identified and renovated, and it’s all because we have better monitoring,” says Steen Hansen, operations manager for water supply at Fors A/S. The monitoring has also meant that water waste has fallen below the magic limit of 10 % in the areas where monitoring has been installed. The limit is magical because water companies have to pay extra fees if water waste is above the limit.

Faster response to unavoidable breaks

We cannot avoid the occasional break in water mains - even new ones wires can get leaks. Therefore, monitoring and identifying problem areas means everything. The goal is to prevent rather than repair. Fors A/S has done this with measuring equipment on selected lines throughout Roskilde city center, Svogerslev and on the Hornsherred line. This makes it possible to constantly monitor the lines. In practical terms, this is done with the system ALMOS Leak, developed by DWI A/S. A break triggers a message, and the renovation technicians even know in which area the leak is located. They still have to find the specific break in the pipe, but compared to before, the work has been optimized. This means that leaks are repaired faster and cheaper and, importantly, with less inconvenience for customers.