In an average home, gallons of water are lost to leakage each day – that’s extra cost on your water and sewer bill.
If your water usage is higher than usual, you may have a leak. All water services in Fairview are metered. Meter readings determine the water and sewer charges on your monthly bill. Reading your meter is a great way to detect a leak if you have one.
The most common culprits are leaking toilets or dripping faucets.
Check for a Toilet Leak
Food coloring or dye tablets purchased from a home improvement store are all you need to detect most toilet leaks.
Step 1. Remove the toilet tank lid.
Step 2. Place a dye tablet or 10 drops of food coloring into the toilet tank. Do not flush.
Step 3. Wait 10-15 minutes. If color appears in the bowl, this means water is leaking from the tank.
Step 4. Repair or replace your toilet.
Check for a Leak Using Your Meter
Step 1. Stop using water: Turn off all water inside and outside the house including showers, sinks, the washing machine, and any other appliance that uses water.
Step 2. Watch the meter: Carefully take the lid off the water meter box. If your meter has a triangular blue or red “leak indicator” dial and it is spinning, you may have a leak. If there is no leak indicator and the actual meter sweep hand is moving, water is running somewhere in your system and you may have a leak. If the hand is not moving, note the position of the hand and wait several hours, making sure not to use any water in the house or yard. Check the meter again. If it has moved, you may have a slow leak.
Step 3. Find the leak: You will need to determine whether it’s an indoor leak or an outdoor leak. Locate the main water shut-off valve in your house. It is usually located near the hot water heater, which may be in your basement or garage. Turn off the valve.
Step 4. Test the valve: Turn on a faucet inside the house to test your shut-off valve. If water still flows from the faucet after several seconds, the shut-off valve is not working. In this case, unfortunately, there is no way to tell whether the leak is indoors or outdoors. If no water flows from the faucet, the shut-off valve is working. Return to the meter.
Step 5. Check whether the meter’s leak indicator or dial hand is moving: If the leak indicator or dial hand is still moving, water is flowing between the meter and the shut-off valve in the house. That means you may have a leak between the shut-off valve and your meter, possibly an underground leak. If the hand is not moving, you may have a leak somewhere within your home’s plumbing system. Possible sources are leaking toilets, faucets, appliances or even garden hoses.
If you detect a leak and have it repaired by a licensed plumber, you may qualify for a leak adjustment.
