Water Conservation:
Reading your Meter
How to Read Your Water Meter
There are several reasons why you'd want to be able to locate and
read your water meter. First, you might be interested in just how
much water you use in a day. By reading your meter at the beginning
and the end of the day you can compare the two totals tell how much
water you and your family used. The second reason is to check for
leaks. If you turn off all the taps in your house, look at your
meter and it is still turning, chances are you have a leak
somewhere. Here are some hints to help you find and read your water
meter:
STEP 1: Locate Your Meter
Your water meter is generally located near the curb in front of your
home or place of business in a direct line with the main outside
faucet. It is housed in a concrete box usually marked "water."
Carefully remove the lid by using a tool such as a large
screwdriver. Please, do not use your fingers. Insert the tool into
one of the holes and pry the lid off. Visually examine the area
around the meter to make sure there are no harmful insects or other
animals.
STEP 2: Read Your Water Meter
There are two basic types of water meters -- the straight-reading
meter which resembles the an odometer in a car, and the
round-reading meter which has several separate dials.
|
Read clockwise, starting at the
100,000 cubic foot dial. Read all dials except the
one foot. Some hands have been removed because we
bill only in hundreds of cubic feet. The above
meter reads 134. |
Read all digits except the last
two. The sweep hand is the one foot indicator.
The above meter reads 4216. |
To check for invisible or slow leaks
Turn off all water taps inside and outside your home. Record the
meter reading and return in two to three hours to check for
movement. If the meter reading has changed, you may have a leak.
Many meters have a small red triangle on the meter face, designed to
detect even small leaks. If this red triangle is moving when you
have all water off inside and outside your home, you may have a
leak.
To track your daily usage
Read and record the meter reading on at least two consecutive days.
By subtracting the previous day's reading from the current reading,
you will find out how many cubic feet of water you used in a
specific period of time. By multiplying the number of cubic feet by
7.48 you will determine how many gallons of water were used.
|
 |
Carpinteria Valley
Water District
|
|
1301 Santa Ynez
Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013 |
WATER TIP
Keep a gallon of cold water in the
refrigerator rather than running the tap for cold water. |
|
