How to Read Your Water Meter

Overview

Reading your water meter will tell you how much water you're using and can help identify if you have a leak. Your water meter records the amount of water you use, just like the odometer on your car records the number of miles you drive and is never reset. Water use is measured in cubic feet and is billed in units of hundred cubic feet (HCF). One HCF is equal to 748 gallons of water. You can view your meter data online under View My Water Data and on the water meter at your home.

Image of meter in box

Where is My Meter?

Most meters are located near the curb in front of your home, usually near the roadway or sidewalk. Your water meter is located inside a rectangular concrete box, flush with the ground and has a lid labeled WATER. Be careful when removing the meter lid as the AMI radio is attached to the lid and connected to the meter by a wire which could become disconnected. In addition there may be critters or insects in the box.

READING YOUR WATER METER

Simply read and record the figures shown with the white background (123). Subtract your previous reading from this reading to determine your usage in HCF. To convert your usage to gallons, multiply the number of units used by 748. For example, if your current read is 055 and your previous read was 052, then you would have used 3 HCF or 2,244 gallons of water. (example: 055 - 052 = 3 HCF; 3 HCF x 748 = 2,244 gallons). 

To check for leaks, observe the large sweep hand or triangle dial for at least 15 minutes with all water turned off. If there is any movement, there could be a leak. Newer digital meters use a flashing plus sign instead of a triangle.

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The Meter

Each full rotation of the sweep hand indicates one cubic foot, or 7.48 gallons of water. The markings around the outside of the dial indicate tenths and hundredths of one cubic foot. The meter shown reads 123 units or 12,345 cubic feet.

The small triangle may be located in a different location on your meter and is a flow indicator. This indicator is used to determine possible leaks in your plumbing by registering even small amounts of flow.

To effectively monitor your usage, we recommend registering for the Aquahawk tool and setting up your thresholds. If you don't have access to a computer then it may be a good idea to manually read your meter when possible.