Your Water Meter Is Moving and Nothing Is On

A meter that moves while every fixture is off means water is leaving the pipes somewhere. It doesn't tell you where, and it doesn't always mean a buried pipe has burst. The point of the check below is to narrow it down in about an hour, so that when you do call someone you can say "it's in the yard" or "it's inside the house" instead of "something's wrong."

Find the meter and read the right part of it

In most Boise neighborhoods the meter sits in a box near the street or sidewalk, under a lid you can lift with a screwdriver. Some lids have a reading window; most have to come off. Inside you'll see a dial face. Ignore the big numbers for now and look for two things: a sweep hand that circles the face, and a small triangle, star or gear called the leak indicator. The leak indicator turns at much lower flow than the sweep hand. If it's turning, water is moving.

Leave the curb stop alone. That's the valve in the box next to the meter, and under Veolia's rules it is theirs to operate except in an emergency.

Shut down everything that uses water on its own

This is where most false alarms come from. Before you decide there's a leak, make sure nothing is using water by design:

• Irrigation timer off, and in summer, the zone valves actually closed.
• Water softener not in a regeneration cycle (they often run at night).
• Ice maker and fridge filter: rarely a big draw, but turn the ice maker off for the test.
• Evaporative cooler or humidifier with a water feed.
• Toilets: a flapper that leaks into the bowl can run quietly for months. Put a few drops of food coloring in each tank and wait fifteen minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means that toilet is your leak.
• Outdoor hoses, drip lines and frost-free hydrants.

The first reading

With everything off, watch the leak indicator for two minutes. Then write down the full reading, including the last digit, and don't use any water for 30 to 60 minutes. An overnight version works better for slow leaks: read it before bed, read it again first thing, and make sure nobody runs water in between.

If the reading didn't change and the indicator didn't move, you probably don't have a constant leak. A high bill may be seasonal use, a toilet that only runs sometimes, or an estimated read. If it did change, keep going.

Split the house from the yard

Find the main shutoff where the line enters the house. In Boise it's often in a crawl space near the front foundation wall, in a basement mechanical room, in the garage near the water heater, or behind an access panel. Close it fully.

Now go back to the meter.

• Indicator still turning: the leak is between the meter box and the house. That buried line is the homeowner's to repair under Veolia's tariff. The next step is a locate. See water line leaks between the meter and the house.
• Indicator stopped: the leak is inside, past the shutoff. That means walls, floors, crawl space, water heater, or fixtures.

Narrowing down an inside leak

Inside leaks fall into a few families. A warm spot on a floor points to a hot line under a slab. A musty smell or damp floor near a bathroom on a crawl-space house points under the floor. A ceiling stain points up. You can also try closing the cold inlet on the water heater and watching the meter again: if the movement stops, the leak is on the hot side.

If the house has a crawl space, a flashlight look from the hatch is worth doing, but only if it's dry and safe to open. Standing water near wiring is a reason to stay out. More on that in crawl space leaks.

What to write down before you call

• How long you watched and how far the meter moved.
• Whether it stopped with the house shutoff closed.
• Any blue tag from Veolia, and your last two bills.
• Where anything looks wet, smells off, or feels warm.
• Roughly how old the house is and whether it sits on a crawl space, basement or slab.

That list saves a technician time, and it gives you a clear record if you later ask the City of Boise for a leak adjustment on your sewer charge. What the city asks for.

A note on summer bills

Boise summers are hot and dry, and lawns drink. A bill that doubles in July with the meter perfectly still overnight is usually irrigation, not a leak. The test above settles it either way.