You probably know that you should turning off the water while you brush your teeth and you also probably know that you should be using a hose with a nozzle when you wash your car in order to save water. But there are a few things you probably don’t know that can really help when it comes to water conservation and these things can also help you save on water bills each month. For starters, do you know how to read your water meter?

Where is my water meter located?

Before we even get into how to read your water meter, we’re going to guess you probably don’t even know where it’s located. Well, they can usually be found near the curb or sidewalk or at the front of your property. Look for a metal or plastic lid that might be marked “water” or “water meter.”

How to read a water meter:

First, use a long screwdriver to remove the lid. Lift the cover and use a rag to wipe the face of the meter clean.
Then take a look at the display. Analog displays will have a large sweep hand that represents the number of gallons or cubic feet of water consumed. One complete rotation equals 10 gallons or 10 cubic feet. For example, if it reads 1356410, that really means 1,356,410 gallons or cubic feet.
If your meter has a digital display, you may need to shine a flashlight on it to be able to read the numbers. The same deal goes for digital meters as analog meters in terms of what the numbers mean.

Do I have a leak?

This is where the money-saving tip comes into play. You can check to see if you have a leak (which means you are wasting lots of water) by turning off all of the water inside your home and taking note of the reading on the meter. If this number continues to increase even with the water turned off, it means you have a leak.

Need help reading your meter or determining whether or not you have a leak? That’s where we come in! Give the experts at Levine & Sons a call today.