This is the simplest, most decisive leak test in existence — and it takes ten minutes with no tools. If your meter moves when nothing is using water, you have a leak. Here's how to run the test proper…
This is the simplest, most decisive leak test in existence — and it takes ten minutes with no tools. If your meter moves when nothing is using water, you have a leak. Here's how to run the test properly and what the results tell you.
Turn off every water-using fixture and appliance: faucets, toilets (don't flush during the test), dishwasher, washing machine, ice maker, and — critically — the irrigation system. Find your water meter (usually near the street in a ground box) and locate the flow indicator: a small triangle, dial, or digital readout. Watch it for 10–20 minutes. Any movement at all means water is flowing somewhere it shouldn't.
Shut off your home's main water valve (usually where the line enters the house). Watch the meter again. If it stops: the leak is inside your home — slab lines, wall lines, or fixtures. If it keeps running: the leak is in the service line between the meter and your house — your responsibility in Sandy, and an underground location job.
Forgetting the irrigation system is #1 — a stuck zone valve will spin the meter merrily. So will a pool auto-fill, a water softener in regeneration, or a reverse-osmosis system. Truly 'everything off' means everything.
A moving meter is a confirmed leak, not a suspicion. The next step is detection: pressure testing to narrow the zone, then acoustic, thermal, or tracer-gas methods to pinpoint it. Don't start opening walls or digging on a hunch — locate first.
10–20 minutes is enough for most leaks. Very slow leaks may need longer — an hour gives certainty for marginal cases.
Yes. Even slow movement means continuous flow. Small leaks become big leaks; they never reverse.
Yes — meters are read year-round. Just make sure irrigation is truly off and winterized so it doesn't confound the result.
Don't wait for the damage to announce itself. Call now — we're open 24/7 — or request an inspection online and we'll respond promptly.