The test, step by step
- 01
Turn off every faucet, appliance, ice maker and the irrigation controller
- 02
Find the meter, usually in a box near the street, and lift the lid carefully
- 03
Look for the small leak indicator, often a triangle or a dial, and note the exact reading
- 04
Leave it 20 to 30 minutes with nobody using water, then read it again
- 05
If it moved, close the main shutoff at the house and repeat the reading
Reading the result
- Nothing moves at all: no leak big enough for the meter to see right now
- It moves with the house shutoff open, and stops when it is closed: the leak is inside the house or under the slab
- It keeps moving with the house shutoff closed: the leak is in the service line between meter and house
- It moves only sometimes: suspect a toilet flapper or an irrigation valve cycling
Before you assume the worst
- A toilet that leaks past the flapper is silent and is the most common answer
- Irrigation valves that weep show as outside usage and are easy to mistake for a slab leak
- An evaporative cooler or a water feature will keep the meter moving
- A softener regenerating in the middle of the test will spoil the result
Answers
How much water does a small leak waste?
Enough to show on a bill before it shows on a floor, which is why the bill is often the first sign. A meter test turns a suspicion into a fact in half an hour.
My bill jumped but the meter test is clean. Now what?
Look for something intermittent: a toilet, an irrigation valve, or a cooler. Running the test again at a different time of day often catches it.
Can you find a leak without opening walls?
Narrowing it down is most of the work, and the meter test is the first and cheapest part of that. Where it goes next depends on what the test says.
If you need this done
- Pipe and leak repairDamaged, corroded or leaking pipe repaired or replaced, including hidden leaks behind walls, with as little disruption as possible.
- Water pressure and regulatorsPressure checked with a gauge, and regulators repaired or replaced when the house is getting more than the plumbing should take.
- Toilet repair and replacementRunning, weak-flushing, clogged or leaking at the base: repaired, or replaced with an efficient new toilet.
- Where we workEvery town and ZIP across the Valley we cover.
In-home estimate
Rather have someone look at it? Tell us what's going on
We come out, look at the problem and explain what it needs before any work starts. For something urgent, calling is fastest.
Rather talk? Call or text (602) 833-4133.