Check Water Meter

First, make sure that no water is running inside or outside of the home and all home appliances that use water are turned off.  Locate your water meter in order to observe movement of water.  The red triangle located inside the dial of your water meter is the flow indicator. If the red triangle is moving, this indicates water is passing through the meter.  Take a reading of your meter, wait 15 minutes, then take a second reading. If the reading has not changed, this indicates no leaks.  If the reading has changed and water has not been used, there may be water leak at your location and you will need to contact a plumber to check the problem.

Check Toilets

A small toilet leak can cause many gallons of water to be wasted every day.  A toilet leaks when water goes from the tank into the bowl of the toilet.  To determine if you have a toilet leak, lift off the toilet tank lid, place five to 10 drops of food coloring or a dye tablet in the toilet tank and wait approximately 10 minutes.  If the colored water appears in the bowl, you have a leak.  You may have a toilet leak if you are able to hear running water as well.  If a leak is found, please contact a plumber.

Check Faucets

Check for any leaking faucets inside and outside of the home. A faucet that has a slow drip can waste up to one gallon of water per day, which can yield up to 365 gallons of water per year.