As a homeowner it is important for you to know the location of your water meter and how to read it.  Knowing how to read your water meter will allow you to monitor your own water consumption and at the same time detect any leaks in your household plumbing.  Your water bill is based on your water consumption, so the repair of small leaks in your plumbing system now will save you money. Knowing more about water meters will help you.

You water meter reads like a car odometer and is read from left to right.

Monitoring Water Use on your water meter
You can calculate your water consumption over a period of time by taking the meter reading at the beginning and end of the period. The difference in the readings is your consumption for that period.

Calculating Water Use on your water meter
You can calculate how much water various activities and appliances use in the same way.  Record the water meter reading before and after the activity, and take the difference.  Make sure that all other water use in your home stops while you're doing the activity, or the volume that you calculate will be incorrect for the activity that you were testing.

Discovering Water Leaks with your water meter
To find out if you have water leaks, try the following experiment the next time you leave your home for several hours or more or prior to going to bed at night.  Prior to leaving, turn off all of your water fixtures, including humidifiers, air conditioners and ice makers.  Then record the meter reading.  If the reading has not changed when you return, your household plumbing is watertight.  If your meter reading does change, you must determine where the leak is.  One culprit can be the toilet.  To verify that your toilet is operating properly, put a few drops of food dye into the tank prior to going to bed for the night.  If the dye gets to the bowl, your toilet is leaking and using water.  Contact a plumber to correct the problem.

Black Plastic Meters
If you have a black plastic meter inside your home, it needs to be replaced.  Occasionally we have had these meters break causing a leak which could damage your home.  To avoid future problems, all of these meters must be replaced.  There are three different brands: Rockwell, Trident, and Badger.  The meter will look similar to the picture.  If you have one of these meters in your home, please call the Water Department at 215-536-5855 during normal business hours of 7:00 am to 3:30 pm to make an appointment to change out your meter.  There is no charge for this service.