Reading your meter and checking for leaks

Reading your meter

A water meter measures the volume of water that passes through it. Every house has its own water meter, usually located in line with the front boundary of the property.

There are two types of water meters in use:

• Water meters that are manually read. The water meter reader physically sights the water meter reading.
• Water meters that are remotely read. The water meter has a cyble unit attached to the top that transmits the reading by radio frequency to the water meter reader’s hand-held reading device. These water meters can also be manually read.

To read your meter, record the numbers from left to right. The black numbers register kilolitres (a kilolitre is a thousand litres). Only this measurement is used to calculate your water usage. The red numbers register hundreds of litres, tens of litres, and litres. An example of the meter dials are shown below.

Reading of 830 kilolitres

Reading of 137 kilolitres

Checking for leaks

Leaks can occur in household water pipes, fittings and appliances. They are not always visible, so the best method of detection is to read your water meter regularly. If your consumption increases dramatically for no obvious reason, there could be a hidden leak.  

To check for leaks:

1. Turn off every tap in the house and check the reading of your water meter. 
2. Do not use any water (including the toilet) for at least one hour or overnight and check the meter before and after. 
3. If the reading has increased, without using any water in and around the house, you have a leak.

TIP: Check the toilet system by putting a drop of food colouring into the cistern. If the colour appears in the toilet bowl before flushing, you have a leak.

If you locate or suspect a leak, contact your plumber or contact us for assistance.