Water Leaks

Water leaks cost you money and waste our precious resource. There are ways you can keep track of your consumption and even find leaks.

Finding and Fixing Leaks

Step 1. Locate and read the meter

Instructions on how to locate and read your meter

Step 2. Monitor your consumption

All you need is a notebook that can be used as your water monitoring diary. Record the water meter reading regularly and then work out your average daily usage (see the table below for the calculation method).

Date	Reading (black numbers)	Difference between readings (1)	Days between dates (2)	(1) divided by (2) = Average Daily consumption (m³)
01/07/10	99	-	-	-
06/07/10	109	10	5	2.0
24/07/10	142	33	18	1.8

Step 3. The leak test

If your consumption seems high, you should carry out this simple leak test on your plumbing:

Shut off all household appliances and outside taps.
Read your meter and this time record all the numbers, including the red ones.
Note the time, leave for as long as possible (overnight is best) and then read the meter again.
If the reading has changed there is a leak that needs attention.

Step 4. The search

Trace your water pipe from the meter to the house. Clues to water leakages include:

water appearing in a concrete area
wet patches on the lawn or garden
dripping from an overflow pipe
damp areas (inside, outside and under the house)

Keeping your Place Water-Tight

Replace washers in all leaking taps - one drip per second wastes 12,000 litres of water per year.
Fix sticky handles on toilet water cisterns to stop water running through
Put a few drops of food colouring in the toilet cistern to check for leaks. If any colour appears in the bowl after ten minutes without flushing, you need to get the seal repaired.

Policy on Remission of Excess Metered Water Rates

The objective of this policy is to provide relief to ratepayers who have excessive metered water rates due to a leak in their internal reticulation and to encourage ratepayers to get all leakage repaired promptly.