A look at the easy how-to steps involved using your water meter to check for a leak from San Juan Water District water efficiency staff member Ken Kirkland.

To check for a leak, turn off all water-using devices inside and outside your home. Lift the small metal lid on top of your meter box. There is a leak-detecting dial on the face of your meter with a pointer inside it. If the pointer is moving, even slightly, and you do not have any water running, you could have a leak.

For help locating a water leak, call us at (916) 791-2663 for a landscape irrigation review. We’ll check your irrigation systems for potential leaks and provide suggestions for fixing them. Plus, we’ll tell you about other water-saving techniques. We even offer a one-time credit for leaks within a single billing period. 

HOW TO READ YOUR WATER METER

Water meters are read from left to right in units of 100 cubic feet. Read only the first four numbers starting with the numbers on the far-left side of your meter.

For example, if the left four digits of your meter read 2590 and the prior meter read was 2580, this means you have used 10 units or 7,480 gallons of water. (1 unit = 100 cubic feet = 748 gallons.)

Note: A few meters are five-digit reads. If your last meter read was five digits, read the first five numbers starting with the numbers on the far-left side of your meter.
 

LEAKS COST YOU MONEY

A continuous leak at 50psi from a:

1/4-inch hole wastes about 788,000 gallons and as much as $811 over two months.

3/16-inch hole wastes about 435,000 gallons and as much as $448 over two months.

1/8-inch hole wastes about 197,000 gallons and as much as $203 over two months

1/16-inch hole wastes about 49,000 gallons and as much as $50 over two months.