View full sizeLocating your water meter -- which may be hidden by ground cover -- is the second step in the process.Water leaks waste money as well as water. Follow these steps outlined by the Portland Water Bureau to determine whether your home has a leak, and if so, whether it is indoors or outdoors:
1. Turn off all water
inside and outside the house, including showers, sinks, washing machine and any appliance that uses water.
2. Locate your water meter box
and take the lid off. Be careful, as lids can be heavy, and sometimes bugs and small animals hide inside meter boxes.
3. Watch the meter.
If your meter has a triangular blue or red "leak indicator" and it is spinning, you have a leak. If there is no indicator and the actual meter dial hand is moving, water is running somewhere in your system and you have a leak -- go to step 4. If the hand is not moving, note the position of the hand and wait ten minutes. Check the meter again, if it has moved, you have a slow leak -- go to step 4. If not, you do not have a leak.
4. Locate and turn off the main shutoff valve
in your house. It is usually located near the water heater in the basement or garage.
5. Turn on a faucet
inside the house to test. If water still flows from the faucet after several seconds, the shutoff valve is not working. There is no way to tell if the leak is indoors or outdoors. However, if no water flows through the faucet, the shutoff valve is working, so proceed to step 6.
6. Return to the meter.
Check whether the meter's leak indicator or dial hand is moving. If the leak indicator or dial hand is still moving, water is flowing between the meter and the shutoff valve. That means you have an underground leak. If it is not moving, then you have an indoor leak.
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-- Homes & Gardens staff
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