Activity: Is your house leaking?
To test if you have any leaks in your house you can do an overnight test using your water meter. A water meter shows you how much water is flowing to your house. If you are not using any water, the numbers on the meter should not change.
Your meter will have a row of 8 or 9 numbers, some will be black and some will be red. The red numbers measure the water in litres, and the black numbers in kilolitres (1,000 litres).
Some leaks could be small and will only be detected over a long period, like overnight.
How to do the overnight test:
- Read your water meter after you have finished using water for the night. Write down both the red and black numbers.
- Avoid using any water, such as flushing the toilet, overnight.
- Read your meter again first thing in the morning. Write down both the red and black numbers.
- If any of the numbers (red or black) have moved overnight, and you have not used any water, then there is a leak somewhere in your house. If you think there is a leak it is good to get someone to check your pipes to stop any water being wasted.
