Reading Your Meter

Your water meter can tell you how much water you’re using during a given time period, and can help you monitor the amount of water you use indoors and outdoors on a daily basis. It can also help you figure out how much water each appliance uses, and whether there’s a leak inside or outside the house. But first you’ll need to learn to read your meter.

meter-01_0.jpgHow to read your meter

Most water meters are located in in-ground concrete boxes near the street curb. To expose the gauge, carefully remove the cover and flip open the meter’s cap.  Black widow spiders sometimes inhabit these dark spaces so be cautious when reaching into the meter box.

Straight reading meters (the simplest, most common type), can tell you how much water you’re using in a given period. Simply record the figures shown on one day and then again a day or week later, and subtract the original reading from the new reading. To convert cubic feet to gallons, multiply by 7.48. Using the same process, you can test the amount of water used to take showers or irrigate your garden. Turn off all water inside and outside the house, read the meter, then run the sprinklers and take a new reading.

Most meters come with a leak detector—a small triangle in the center of the meter, which rotates when any amount of water is used. If the triangle rotates even when all the water is turned off, there’s a leak somewhere in your water system.

meter-02.jpgWater meter facts

Each 10th on the meter = .748 gallons
One cubic foot = 7.48 gallons
Hundred cubic feet or Hcf = 748 gallons
One complete sweep of the dial indicator is equal to
1 cubic foot or 7.48 gallons
One hundred sweeps of the dial equals
one billing unit, 748 gallons of water

Conversion facts

1.00 gallon = 13 ticks on the meter
2.00 gallons = 27 ticks on the meter
4.00 gallons = 53 ticks on the meter
6.00 gallons = 80 ticks on the meter
7.48 gallons = 1 sweep or 1 cubic foot

Using your meter to check for leaks

To check for leaks, turn off all water faucets in your home (including your ice maker and water softener if you have one). Do not turn the water off at the meter. If your meter doesn’t have a leak detector (the little colored triangle), it will have a sweep hand. Record the meter reading or mark the needle position with a pencil or piece of tape. Keep the water off. Wait at least 15 to 30 minutes.

Reread the meter gauge to determine if any water has been used. If a leak is detected, likely culprits are toilets and irrigation systems.

Checking for toilet leaks

  1. Put several drops of food coloring in the toilet tank (or dye tablets available at Soquel Creek Water District free of charge).
  2. After 20 minutes have elapsed, check the toilet bowl to see if colored water has escaped into it from the tank.
  3. If colored water shows up in the bowl, the toilet probably has a flapper leak. Replace or re-adjust the flapper.

Checking for irrigation leaks

  1. Taller, greener vegetation or moss growing around the sprinkler heads are signs of a damaged or dirty valve. Clean and replace worn parts.
  2. Wet spots, mud, and eroding soil may indicate a broken pipe. Dry spots in your lawn could also be a sign that a sprinkler is damaged. To locate the source of the leak, dig around the sprinkler.
  3. Wet spots on pavement also indicate possible leaks. Watch your sprinklers to determine which one is showering the pavement. Turn off the water, and check the sprinkler head and riser. Sprinklers spouting geysers indicate broken sprinkler heads. Replace them quickly to conserve water.