Finding Your Meter
Generally, your water meter is located in the front of the property between the edge of the road pavement and your property line. It is housed in an in-ground meter box, which helps protect it from the elements, and the word "WATER" is imprinted on the lid.
Normally, the water meter nearest to your property is your water meter. To verify this, turn on a spigot inside your house or at the outside hose bib. While the water is running, go out to the water meters and observe which one is registering (i.e., the meter register is changing numbers or the leak detector is spinning).
Reading Your Meter
Your water meter looks like the diagram below.
Your water meter is read like a car’s odometer – from left to right. Numbers in the white blocks are thousand gallons. Numbers in the black (shaded) blocks are 100 and 10 gallon digits.
As water passes through the meter, the register measures the water consumption sequentially from right to left.
One revolution of the sweep hand indicates 10 gallons have gone through the meter.
*The leak indicator is a small triangle or star shaped indicator that spins when water advances through the meter. Continued spinning or erratic movement on the indicator means there is water being used, and a possible leak. However, please note that it may also move slightly due to system pressure changes. Should it appear you have a leak, make note of the meter reading, needle hand, and dial locations then do not use any water for several hours. Re-read the meter to determine if you do have a leak.
Calculating the Monthly Read
To determine your water usage for one month:
- Locate your meter (usually in the ground in the yard).
- Make a note of the odometer-type numbers, reading them from left to right.
- About one month later take another reading.
- Calculate the total by subtracting the previous reading from the current reading.
- Assume the read for May 28 is the read on the above meter or 1,990:
- Now let’s assume that the April 28 reading was 3,120
- The difference between the 2 months would be 1,130
Because the Utilities Department bills in 1,000 gallon increments, the consumption for May would be 1,000.
High Water Use
To determine a cause of your high water use:
- Have you had extra people living at the home?
- Do you have a sprinkler system? Did you irrigate your lawn?
- Did you water your plants/garden?
- Do you have a pool? Did you add water?
- Do you have a water softener? Does it run excessively?
- Did you pressure wash your driveway or the outside of your house in the past month?
- Have you had a problem with your toilet(s)?
- Have you checked your home for leaks?
If none of these suggestions resolves the issue, please call 941.764.4300 to discuss your high use.