If you did not already know, water meters connect to your home’s main water line.
There are two types of water meters used by the District, digital and mechanical. The District water meters measure water usage in cubic feet and consumption is billed in one hundred cubic foot blocks. One hundred cubic feet of water is equivalent to approximately 748 gallons. As a reference, the average Residential Customer in the District uses 160 gallons or approximately 21.4 cubic foot of water per day which equates to approximately 642 cubic feet of water in a 30- day period.
The best way to determine if you have a leak in your plumbing is to check the water meter servicing your property regularly to avoid high utility bills.
Steps To Identifying If You Have A Leak:
STEP 1: Turn off all water-using appliances and fixtures inside and outside of your home or business. Use no water during the test period.
STEP 2: Locate your water meter at the front of your property, usually in a concrete or plastic box near the edge of the road. Open the lid, the meter box may be full of dirt or water.
If you are a West Sound Utility District Customer and you do not know where your meter is located, you can call customer service at 360-876-2545 to get help in identifying the location or the meter number if it is in a bank of meters.
STEP 3: Check to see if the leak indicator is moving or displays a leak status. Depending on the brand of your meter, the leak indicator could be a small triangular shaped dial, a small dial that rotates when water is flowing through the meter, or a digital display indicating a leak. It is important to note, with mechanical type meters, you may have to watch the “triangle” or “dial” for a few minutes or take note of position and look at it after an hour or so. Any movement indicates a leak and a small drip or a sporadic leak, such as a toilet, may take time to make the meter show the movement.
If you followed Step 1, and the wheel or triangle is moving, or if “leak” or “burst” is displayed on an electronic meter, chances are, you have a leak.
If you have determined you have a leak, the next step is to identify if the leak is inside or outside of your house or building.
STEP 4: Locate your main shut off valve and shut off the water at the valve. Typically, you will find the shut off valve in the basement or garage directly behind an outdoor faucet, within the building or outside below an outdoor faucet.
STEP 5: Check the leak indicator again for movement. If the leak indicator stops moving, then you have a leak inside of the house. If the leak indicator continues to move, then the leak is outside between the meter and the structure.
STEP 6: If you are unable to locate the leak, you may need to call a plumber.
Based on customer feedback, most inside leaks are usually identified as a leaking toilet flapper or the toilet fill valve which are silent but make themselves known when a water bill is received.
Toilet leaks can waste hundreds of gallons and are often silent. Even a small leak can add up to a lot of wasted water and money over time. Fortunately, most toilet leaks are easy and inexpensive to repair.
To help determine if you have a leaking toilet, simply remove the tank lid, and place a few drops of food coloring or dye tablets in the toilet tank. If you do not have food coloring, our Customer Service Team will provide you with dye tabs at no cost. Place the tablets or food coloring in the tank of the toilet, wait about 30 minutes, without flushing, and then look in the toilet bowl to see if any color has come through. If the water is clear, water is not leaking. If you see coloring in the bowl you have a leak. In most cases, you will simply just need to replace the toilet flapper and/or fill valve mechanism. These are typically available online or at hardware or home center stores.
Follow this link, Saving Water Partnership for some “How To” videos to assist you in addressing common household leaks and information on other ways to conserve water and reduce your water bill.