Country Water

how to check for leaks

Many leaks occur underground and may take months to become apparent on the surface. In order to determine if you have a leak, you can follow this procedure:

Choose a time when you are not using any appliances that use water. (ie: overnight)
Make sure all taps are turned off.
Allow all tanks and cisterns to completely fill (this can take up to 30 minutes).
Take an initial meter reading (read both the black and the red digits).
Leave all appliances turned off overnight.
Take a second meter reading first thing in the morning before you use any water (read both the black and the red digits).

If the second reading is greater than the initial reading this indicates that water has passed through the meter and you may have a leak.

If a leak occurs on the property side of the meter, the customer is responsible for the leak charges and repair costs.

Start checking hose and tap connections and toilets for water leaks. The quickest way to check your toilet is to place a piece of paper at the back of the toilet bowl at least 10 minutes after flushing the toilet, if the paper becomes wet you have a toilet leak. Another good check is when all taps are off hold your ear to a water pipe and listen for running water sound.

Take a good walk around your yard, look for unusually damp spots on lawn or garden or for spots were your lawn is higher and greener than the rest.

If you have everything turned off and are sure the toilets and connections aren't leaking and yet the dials on your meter are still turning, you may have a hidden leak in an underground pipe.

If this is the case, we advise you to call a New South Wales licensed plumber to locate the possible leak on your property.

If you have made the above checks and still think the meter is not registering correctly, please refer to the information on Water Meter Testing.