Reading Your Meter

Find Your Meter

  1. Locate your meter box. Most water meters are located in in-ground boxes near the street curb. Your meter may be obscured by dirt or landscaping.
  2. To expose the gauge, carefully remove the meter lid by inserting a screwdriver into the hole and shift it to the side carefully.
  3. Flip open the meter's cap. Careful! Black widow spiders sometimes inhabit these dark spaces so be cautious when reaching into the meter box.

Meter ReadingHow to Read Your Water Meter (Digital)

Follow these easy steps to read your digital meter:

  1. The largest displayed number is your water read (shown in cubic feet). Only the number to the left of the decimal point should be considered (the digits to the right of the decimal are smaller units that we do not read). The displayed meter is showing 5 cubic feet of usage.
  2. Write down the starting read.
  3. When you've reached the end of the time period you're interested in monitoring (e.g. one day, one week, etc.) repeat step 1 and then subtract the original reading from the new reading.

The meter records usage in cubic feet. To convert to gallons, multiply by 7.48.

Think You Have a Leak (Digital)?Meter with leak alarm

A water droplet symbol will appear on the top right corner of your meter when water has been running constantly for 24 hours. In the top center you will see an arrow symbol whenever any water is going through the meter, even very small amounts. The top left corner will show you the rate the water is flowing through the meter in gallons per minute. Any leak less than 0.1 gallons per minute will display as 0.0 GPM.

The meter shown to the right is displaying a leak of 0.3 gallon per minute 

If you think you have a leak, shut off all water-using devices in your home and check this display. If you still see the arrow in the top center of your meter you probably have a leak. Once water has stopped running through the  meter for 15 minutes the water droplet symbol will go away.

Learn more about finding and fixing leaks by visiting the Leaks page.

Meter Reading (2)How to Read Your Water Meter (Analog)

Your water meter can tell you how much water you’re using during a given time period. Follow these easy steps to read your analog meter:

  1. Locate the odometer (the number bar) on the meter's face.  Simply read the numbers and write them down to create your starting read.
  2. When you've reached the end of the time period you're interested in monitoring (e.g. one day, one week, etc.) repeat step 1 and then subtract the original reading from the new reading.
  3. The meter records usage in cubic feet.  To convert to gallons, multiply by 7.48.
  4. When you're done, don't forget to close the meter cap and then carefully replace the meter box lid.

This meter reading process can be done over a day or a week to track your water usage.  You can also see the amount of water used to irrigate your garden. Turn off all water inside and outside the house, read the meter, then run the sprinklers or irrigation and when complete, take a new reading.

For precise water usage readings, see the numbers on the outside of the dial.

  • 0.1 equals  0.748 gallons
  • 0.2 equals 1.5 gallons
  • 0.3 equals 2.2 gallons
  • 0.4 equals 3 gallons
  • 0.5 equals 3.74 gallons
  • 0.6 equals 4.5 gallons
  • 0.7 equals 5.2 gallons
  • 0.8 equals 6 gallons
  • 0.9 equals 6.7 gallons

1 equals 7.48 gallons or 1 cubic foot

Think You Have a Leak (Analog)?

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

Watch this short How to read your meter tutorial:

Learn how to measure your water use by reading your meter. Roy Sikes from Soquel Creek Water District explains how to use your meter to measure your water use over a day or after washing a load of laundry. The meter shown is similar to most meters in the Soquel, Capitola, Aptos and La Selva Beach area.

Water Meter Conversions

  • Each number is about 3/4 of a gallon (0.1 equals 3/4 of a gallon or 0.748 gallons)
  • One complete sweep of the dial equals 1 cubic foot or 7.48 gallons
  • One hundred sweeps of the dial equals one billing unit equals 748 gallons of water

Conversions

  • One cubic foot equals 7.48 gallons
  • Hundred cubic feet (ccf) equals 748 gallons or 1 unit of water (as shown on your bill)