How to Read Your Water Meter

Your water meter measures the amount of water used in your household. The readings from your water meter determine the amount you are charged every month on your utility bill. You can read the meter yourself to verify your bill, monitor your water use, check for suspected leaks or experiment with efficient landscaping procedures.

Straight Reading Meter
The straight reading meter records cubic feet of water used in much the same way that a car's odometer records miles. The dial with a single hand measures tenths of a cubic foot.

When we read your meter, we read all numbers to measure the units that have been used. One unit equals one cubic foot or 7.48 gallons. In the example below, the meter reading would be: 002426. This meter has registered almost 18,146 gallons since it was new (2425.92 x 7.48).

The triangle is a leak detector. The triangle will rotate if water is passing through the meter. If no one is using water, but the triangle is turning, you may have an undiscovered leak in your plumbing system.

Helpful Tip
Keep in mind that the units shown on your water bill are equal to cubic feet. Meter readers only record complete units for billing purposes, so the last two digits (the "tens" and the "ones" figures) are omitted. One unit equals 7.48 gallons, so one cubic foot equals about 7.5 gallons.

1. Before you begin the measurement, write down the meter reading to two decimal places. (see the photo example for help).
2. Perform the activity you want to measure, but be sure that no other water is being used during the test. Some examples include:
   Washing a load of laundry or dishes
   Taking a shower or bath
   Washing your car
   Watering your lawn
   Filling your swimming pool.
3. If you are doing an activity that may have a variable duration, such as taking a shower or running your sprinklers, you should measure the number of minutes the activity required. This information will allow you to determine the number of gallons per minute the activity requires.
4. After the activity is complete, read the meter again. Subtract the first reading from the second reading, then multiply the remainder by 7.48 to convert to gallons. To get gallons per minute, divide the number of gallons by the number of minutes the activity required. For example, if you ran your sprinkler system for 10 minutes and used 110 gallons of water, your system uses 11 gallons per minute.

Detecting Leaks
Follow these steps to determine if you have a water leak in your home.

1. Write down the meter reading and the time of day to the minute.
2. Don't use any water during the test. Usually it is best to do this when you will be away from home for an hour or more. Make sure devices such as evaporative coolers and ice makers are turned off.
3. Read the meter again when you return and note the time of day.
4. Subtract the second reading from the first. Multiply the remainder by 7.48. This is the number of gallons that passed through the meter during the test period.
5. Divide the amount of water by the number of minutes in the test. For example, if 17 gallons leaked out during a 180 minute period, you have a leak of 0.094 gallons per minute.
6. Multiply the gallons per minute by 1,440 to calculate gallons per day. Multiply gallons per minute by 43,920 to calculate gallons per month. In this example, just 0.094 gallons per minute equates to more than 4,128 gallons each month.

Meter Tampering
Tampering with a water meter to make it show less consumption, or bypassing the meter entirely, is illegal and dangerous. When someone uses water without paying for it, others pay more. Call 448-4800 if you know of anyone tampering with a water meter.