Water meters, water leaks and water usage

Overview

Water meters measure the amount of water used at your property. All properties connected to our water supply are metered. Most properties has their own individual water meter. In duplexes, group or strata-titled properties, there may only be one meter servicing some or all dwellings.

Water rates bill

All water meters, except private meters, are read twice a year to allow us to monitor your water consumption and work out how much your bill will be. Your water rates notice displays the water you have used over the specified period indicated on the bill.

Read about water rate bills.

Locate and read your water meter

Your water meter is usually found in the front right or left corner of your property. The meter will be set in the ground in a box. If you live in a unit, flat or townhouse complex you may have individual meters for each residence; these are known as secondary meters.

Read your water meter

We currently have two styles of water meter; a black and red numbered meter and smart water meters. Checking your meter regularly is a great way to monitor your household water consumption and detect leaks. It will help you save water - and money!

How to read a water meter with black and red numbering

1. Wearing gloves, lift the meter lid.
2. Lift the small lid to reveal the display.
3. You may need to clean out the meter box to be able to read the dial.
4. The meter dial will show you how much water has been used
5. Read the numbers from left to right.
6. The black numbers are the kilolitres (kL) used. The red numbers are the litres (L) used. The red numbers are used to determine undetectable leaks.
   • The example below shows 136 kL and 912 L:

How to read a smart water meter

1. Wearing gloves, lift the meter lid.
2. Lift the small lid on the top of the meter to reveal the display.
3. The screen will turn on with sufficient light during the day or use a torch at night. If the display doesn't turn on with ample light, your meter may be faulty or the light sensor may be obstructed by dust and dirt. Wipe the face of the meter with a dry cloth. If this doesn't work, please report the problem to us. 
4. By default, the meter will display the total cumulative water consumption. The number represents kLs of water used to 5 decimals.
5. You can use the light sensor to toggle through the meter information displayed on the screen by pressing the sensor.
   • Cover the light sensor for three seconds to change between cumulative flowrate (kL), instantaneous flowrate (kL/h) and water temperature (Celsius).
   • The display will disappear after two minutes of the light sensor not being covered. The screen will default back to cumulative flow in kilolitres (kL) after 15 seconds of inactivity.

Check for a leak on your property

If you've received a letter advising that your usage is higher than normal, a higher than usual bill or you've noticed damp or wet patches in or around your property, you may have an internal leak. Leaks on the property are the responsibility of the owner to fix.

We recommend you:

• rule out all possible causes for higher than usual water consumption, such as visitors, extra garden watering, filling up a pool or known leaks in fixtures or fittings
• conduct a meter test.

How to conduct a meter test

1. Ensure all taps in the dwelling and garden are turned off.
2. Leave toilet cistern and hot water systems on.
3. Leave the meter tap on.
4. Read the digits on the meter (from left to right) and note down the meter reading.
   • If you have a smart water meter and the numbers are still changing, you have a leak.
   • If you have a meter with black and red numbering, don't use any water for 30 minutes. If the meter reading has changed after 30 minutes there may be a leak.

Common places to check for a leak

• Check for dripping taps in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry.
• Check for leaking washing machine or dishwasher connections.
• Look for damp patches on walls in case of leaking pipes.
• Test the toilet cistern for leaks by dropping a few drops of food colouring in the tank and waiting 15 minutes. If there is colouring in the toilet bowl after the 15 minutes, the cistern is leaking. 
• Check outdoor garden taps, hoses, irrigation, sprinklers.
• Keep an eye out for damp patches on the lawn, in the garden or on paved areas.
• Check hot water systems and air conditioning units.
• In cases of hidden/undetectable leaks a licensed plumber can test your pipes to determine where the problem lies. 

Monitor and prevent leaks at home

If you have a meter with black and red numbering, monitor your water usage monthly by checking your water meter readings.

Once upgraded to a smart water meter you can use the app to monitor for usage and leaks. Read more about smart water meters.

Apply for water bill relief

If you have had a leak on your property, you may like to apply for a discount on your water rates using our water bill relief application process.

How to apply

Report a leak

Leak at the water meter

A leak at the water meter may be the property owner's or our responsibility, depending where the leak is.

To find out if the leak is on the consumer side of the property, simply:

1. Turn off all taps in the house and garden.
2. Read the meter and write down the number.
3. Don't use water for 30 minutes.
4. Read the meter again after 30 minutes.
   • If the meter number has changed, the water leak is on the consumer side (the property owner's responsibility). The property owner/real estate agent will need to arrange for a licensed plumber to complete the repairs.
   • If the meter number hasn't changed, the water leak is our responsibility. Call 131 872 and report the leak as soon as possible. 

Report a leak on Council land

If you spot a water leak on Council land, including on the footpath, at the water meter, on the road, in a Council owned building or in a park, please call us on 131 872 so we can fix it as quickly as possible to minimise the amount of water lost. 

We will ask you some details about the leak so please have the following information ready:

• location details (if possible provide the exact address, street name, park name, suburb)
• where the leak is coming from (e.g. out of the ground, out of the water meter)
• how quickly the leak is spilling. 

Water meter maintenance

Keeping the area around your water meter neat and tidy allows our officers to easily read and maintain the meter. General maintenance that should be undertaken by the property owner around the meter includes:

• cutting back shrubs and grass
• clearing dirt and leaves from around the meter (wear gardening gloves to do this)
• keeping prickly plants away from the meter.

We are responsible for maintaining the workings, repair and replacement of the water meter.

Request water meter maintenance

Occasionally you may require maintenance to your water meter to fix problems such as:

• unable to turn the water meter off
• the lid of the box is missing
• the meter window is foggy and unable to be read
• broken lid
• cracked or dirty meter
• buried meter.

Request water meter maintenance.

Check your daily water usage

Depending on the type of water meter installed, there are two ways to check the daily water usage for your household.

Meter with black and red numbering

1. Record the numbers from your water meter.
2. At the same time a day later, record your water meter reading.
3. Subtract the first reading from the second reading.
4. This is your household's daily water usage.

Smart water meter

Find out how to check your water usage using the Toowoomba Water app.

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