Is there a leak? How much water does my dishwasher use? How many gallons per minute does my irrigation system use? These are questions your water meter can help answer. We use your water meter to generate a bill each quarter. A lot of things can happen during the quarter that will influence your water bill. A leak could develop and go unnoticed until the bill arrives or a child returns home from school increasing your normal water usage. This guide will help you locate your water meter, describe how it works and show you a few ways to make the most use of your water meter.
Where is my meter and what does it look like?
A common misconception is the meter is located on the outside of the house. Water meters are normally found in the basement towards the front of the house. The reading system for the meter is located on the outside of the building but the actual meter, the part measuring flow, is located in a heated area. The picture to the right shows the meter that is used 95% of the time. Some commercial buildings and multi-family residences have larger meters but this is the typical meter found in single family homes.
The meter has two parts - the measuring chamber and the register. The measuring chamber is the bottom half of the meter with the two ports. The chamber is sealed except for an inlet and an outlet. A calibrated piston is inside the chamber and each cycle is equal to a certian volume of water. The register rtracks the total volume of water that has passed through the meter by counting the cycles and recording the total volume on a series of odometer wheels.
How do I read the meter?
The odometer wheels are located on the top face of the meter, beneath the clear protective lens. The wheels allow you to read down to the tenth of a gallon. There is also a small red dial that indicates hundredths of gallons. The meter can read up to 9,999,999.9 gallons before rolling over to 0. Follow these steps to figure out how much water has been used since the last billing:
- Take the end reading off of the bill and multiply by 1000. The bill is calculated in 1000 gallon increments and lower digits are ignored.
- Read the meter
- Subtract the current reading from the previous reading to calculate how much water has been used since the last bill. When using the reading from the bill the volume used could be off by up to 999 gallons since the lower digits are truncated, not rounded, when the meter is read for billing purposes.
Is there a leak?
The easiest way to check the house for leaks is to watch the red dial located on the top of the meter near the odometer wheels. The dial rotates when the meter senses flow and is very sensitive. Each rotation is a tenth of gallon so it will rotate very quickly when a faucet is running. Follow these steps to check for a leak:
- Make sure all faucets, fixtures and appliances in the house are not using water.
- Locate the red dial on the face of the meter making sure to notice the starting position.
- Watch the dial for two or three minutes to see if it rotates. If the dial moves then water is being used.
More information...
If you want more information or have a few questions then please call the Water Department at (978) 887-1517.
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