By learning to read your water meter, you’ll easily be able to keep track of water usage in your home, as well as detect any leaks in the system.

Your home’s water usage is probably measured by one of three meter types. The six-dial meter (above left) is most common. Five of its six dials (labeled 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 for the number of cubic feet of water they record per revolution) are divided into tenths, the needles of the 10,000 and 100 meters move clockwise, and the other three move counterclockwise. The remaining dial, usually undivided, measures a single cubic foot per revolution. To read the six-dial meter, begin with the 100,000 dial, noting the smaller of the two numbers nearest the needle. Then read the dial labeled 10,000 and so on. This meter reads 628,260 cubic feet.

The five-dial meter (above center) is read in exactly the same way as the six-dial meter, except that single cubic feet are measured by a large needle that sweeps over the entire face of the meter. The meter in this example reads 458,540 cubic feet.

The digital-readout meter (above right) looks like an automobile odometer. This type of meter may also have a small dial that measures a single cubic foot per revolution.

You can monitor the water used by a specific appliance by simply subtracting the “before” reading from the “after” reading of your meter. To track down a possible leak, turn off all the water outlets in the house and note the position of the 1-cubic-foot dial on your meter. After 30 minutes, check the dial. If the needle has moved, you have a leak.

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