Are you interested in knowing how much water you use for various purposes around your house and yard or how much water you use in a day? Would you like to see if you have a leak in you piping? Reading your water meter is easy and can help you determine these things! Here are some useful tips and directions to help you find and read your water meter:
STEP 1: Finding Your Water Meter
Your water meter is usually located near the curb in front of your home or place of business in a direct line with the main outside faucet. It is housed in a concrete box with a steel lid. Carefully remove the lid by using a tool such as a large screwdriver. Please, do not use your fingers. Insert the tool into one of the holes and pry the lid off. Visually examine the area around the meter to make sure there are no harmful insects or other animals near or inside the meter box.
STEP 2: Reading Your Water Meter
Each of the City of Glendale’s water customers has their water use measured by a meter. This results in each customer paying their fare share of operating the system based upon the actual amount of water used. Usage is determined by taking an initial reading and subtracting it from a subsequent reading.
For more details on how to read your meter, you can order a free guide, The Complete Guide to Home Water Management to help detect leaks. Order brochure online
How to Read Your Meter
In the meter at the right, the reading is taken from the figures shown on the meter dials. The meter reads 4,162,660 gallons. Because our charge is based on units of 1,000 gallons, the meter reader discards the last three numbers (the ones with the black background). So, this reading would actually be 4,162.
Assume that the next time you read your meter, the new reading was 4,197,010, as shown here.
Again, we'd drop the last three numbers and your official reading would be 4,197. Your usage since the last time you read your meter would be determined by subtracting the first reading number (4,162) from the new reading number (4,197). You would then know that you had used 35 thousand gallons of water. It’s that simple! Our meter readers read your meter once a month, rain or shine, and their readings are used to determine your water bill. |
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Often, your meter will have a small colored pinwheel (see the first picture) or triangular shaped flow indicator (see the second picture) that you might see spinning. The spinning indicates that water is passing through your meter. If you are not aware that you are using water in your house or yard and the triangle is spinning, you may have a leak. Check your yard and fixtures closely for evidence of a leak. Toilets are often the culprit because the flapper valve in the toilet tank may not seal properly, resulting in a slow, and sometimes quiet, leak.
 Do You Know Where All That Water Went?
Are you staring at your water bill in disbelief wondering “How could I use that much water?” Typically, 50 to 70 percent of a household’s water use is outside in the landscape. Seasonally checking and properly adjusting your irrigation timers can significantly reduce your overall water use. To learn how to water your lawn and plants go to the interactive watering guide at www.wateruseitwisely.com or take one of the free classes offered by the city of Glendale Water Conservation Office.
Other Sneaky Leaks To Look For …
- A broken sprinkler head can lose up to 12 gallons per minute.
- A reverse osmosis water treatment system can use up to 5 gallons for every gallon of filtered water it produces.
- A ½ inch diameter garden hose delivers 5 to 8 gallons of water per minute; over 300 gallons per hour.
- A slow dripping leaky outdoor valve or indoor water fixture can waste 350 gallons per month.
- An average size swimming pool (400 sq. ft.) uses about 16,000 gallons to fill and loses about 22,000 each year due to evaporation and backwashing. Evaporation loss in the summer can be as high as 2,500 gallons each month.
For more information you can request a free home water audit and leak detection kit, The Complete Guide to Home Water Management, by calling 623-930-3535 or order brochure online
Do You Know How Your Water Usage Compares?
The average residential water use in Glendale is approximately 118 gallons per person per day. This is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the following factors:
- Number of people living in or visiting the home.
- Size and type of landscaping and how it is watered
- Presence of a swimming pool.
- Presence of water efficient appliances and plumbing fixtures.
- Presence of indoor or outdoor leaks
- Personal habits.
Example: Calculating Your Water Usage Per Person Per Day |
11,000 |
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3 |
÷ |
30 |
= |
122 |
Gallons used per month |
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Number of people per household |
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Days in the month |
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Gallons per person per day |
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