Information on water supply
The information in the attached information sheet provides an overview of the collection and processing of your data.
We at Stadtwerke Hofheim take the protection of your personal data very seriously and process it in accordance with the applicable statutory data protection requirements. Personal data in the sense of this information is all information that can be related to your person. We would like to use this information sheet to explain how we process your personal data. We would also like to give you an overview of your rights under data protection law. Which data is processed in detail and how it is used depends largely on the prescribed services.
You will also receive information regarding the processing of personal data in the course of operating remotely readable water meters.
In accordance with the German calibration law, your water meter is routinely replaced every 6 years. On this occasion, we would like to ask you to do the following:
- Arrange for a person authorized by you to be present when the meter is changed if you are unable to attend in person.
- Make sure (the authorized person) that the meter reading is correct and confirm this by signing the water meter replacement receipt.
- After installing the water meter, check the tightness of the screw connections and the valves several times (at intervals of a few days) (visual inspection).
- Our fitters are required to replace non-functioning valves and/or screw connections when changing the meter.
The above points are for your safety and ours, as it is important to be able to shut off the water supply to the water meter quickly and easily in the event of damage to your water consumption system.
In principle, the water supplied by public water suppliers complies with the legal requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance and does not require softening in its capacity as a foodstuff.
Water softening systems are not generally recommended. As a rule, the appropriateness of softening systems is only checked from "hardness range 4". For this reason, you should find out in advance which hardness range your water is in.
The aim of these systems is to prevent the formation of scale. However, despite softening, the problem can only be minimized up to a water temperature of approx. 60°C. During the softening process, calcium and magnesium ions are exchanged and sodium ions are added. It is important that the limit values are not exceeded or fallen short of, as excessively softened water used as food can be harmful to health. In terms of environmental impact, the reduced use of detergents and soap is roughly balanced out by the addition of phosphate.
If a softening system is nevertheless planned, care should be taken to ensure that the softened water is in "hardness range 2" (water hardness perceived as pleasant at 10-15°dH.) and that the system has the DVGW test mark. However, we cannot guarantee the water quality of the softened water.
In contrast to the previous installations, the material used by the municipal utilities for the house connection pipe is made of plastic (PE HD 100) and is therefore not electrically conductive.
In earlier years, the metal pipe network of the waterworks often served as an earth electrode for electrical, antenna, lightning protection and other electrical systems in buildings.
Since October 1, 1990, this has no longer been permitted.
When house connection pipes are replaced, the previous metal pipe is replaced by a plastic pipe that is commonly used today, so that any existing direct earthing of the electrical systems may be interrupted.
It is therefore necessary to install an in-house earthing system and connect it to all metal pipes in the building and the protective earth of the house connection (equipotential bonding in accordance with DIN VDE 0100-410 and DIN VDE 0100-540). In new buildings, foundation earth electrodes used for earthing and equipotential bonding must be installed during construction in accordance with DIN. The effectiveness of the protective measure for your electrical systems is only guaranteed if the electrical installation is carried out in accordance with current regulations. If this is not the case, a fault in the installation or a defective device can result in a life-threatening contact voltage.
As a precaution, we recommend having your installation checked by an approved electrical installation company. If necessary, ask them to bring your installation up to the latest technical standard (e.g. by installing a deep earth electrode, an equipotential bonding bar or an antenna earth).