Is There a Leak? Check Your Meter

Turn everything off

Make sure no faucets, toilets, the washer, the dishwasher, the ice maker, the water softener or any irrigation is running.

Watch the indicator

Find the meter and look for the small leak indicator. If it moves while everything is off, water is flowing somewhere.

Inside or outside

Close the main valve at the house. If the indicator stops, the leak is inside. If it keeps moving, the leak is likely in the line between the meter and the house.

Check the toilets

Add a few drops of food coloring to each toilet tank and wait 15 minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking.

Softeners and heaters

A water softener stuck in its regeneration cycle, or a relief valve dripping on the water heater, can run water down a drain quietly. Check both.

Get help

If you can't find it, a plumber can trace it. See emergency plumbing for urgent leaks.

Overnight check

If the indicator is hard to read, write down the full reading at bedtime, use no water overnight and read it again in the morning. Any change means water moved while the house was asleep.

In the yard

Walk along the line between the meter and the house. Soft ground in dry weather, a patch of greener grass or water near the meter box all point to a buried leak.

Compare your bills

Look at the same month last year. A steady rise with no change in how you use water is often the first sign of a slow leak.

More plumbing guides

• Winterizing a Pocatello Home
• Service Lines and Deep Frost
• Finding the Water Shut-Off in a Basement or Crawl Space
• Reading the Water Heater Label
• Checking an Idaho Plumbing License