The meter test
Turn everything off
Every tap, the washing machine, the dishwasher, irrigation, the pool top-up and any evaporative cooler. Don't flush.
Read the meter
Write down every number on the display, or take a photo. Many meters also have a small dial or star that spins with even a tiny flow.
Wait
Leave it an hour or two without using any water. Overnight is better if you can manage it.
Read it again
Any change means water is going somewhere it shouldn't.
Narrow it down
Close the isolation valve to each toilet, then to the hot water system, one at a time, and watch whether the meter stops.
Other reasons a bill goes up
- The reading was estimated, not actual: the bill says which.
- This billing period was longer than the last one.
- More people at home, or a new garden, lawn or pool.
- The charges changed: compare the rate per unit with your last bill.
- A toilet that runs quietly into the bowl, day and night.
Which side of the meter is the leak?
A leak before the meter doesn't pass through it, so it won't show in your test, though you may see water pooling near the meter or the footpath. Who fixes which part depends on your water company, which is named on your bill.
Yarra Valley Water says "The meter and stop tap are owned by Yarra Valley Water," and that it repairs the pipe from the main to the meter even though it doesn't own that pipe. South East Water is responsible for the meter and the pipes from the street to it, and the owner for the pipes from the meter to the house. Water Corporation in WA says the leak is yours if it's "anywhere between the plumbers elbow and your property", though its page doesn't say where that elbow sits.
About the bill itself
Once the leak is found and fixed, call your water company about the bill. Ask whether anything can be done and what it needs from you, such as the plumber's invoice or a short report of where the leak was and when it was fixed. Keep both.
What a plumber will do
A plumber will repeat the meter test to confirm the leak, then isolate each section of the house until the meter stops. That points to the toilets, the hot water system, an underground pipe or a pipe inside the house, and they find and repair it from there. Ask for the location and cause in writing.
What changes the job
A leaking cistern is a quick fix. A pipe underground between the meter and the house, or one under a slab, takes finding and opening up. How long the leak has run, the pipe material, and whether you need a report for the water company all change the work.
Checks and small fixes
You can
- Do the meter test; our leak check helps you read the result.
- Drop food colouring into each cistern and wait without flushing. Colour in the bowl means it's leaking.
- In Queensland, the QBCC guide lists repairing or replacing a float valve washer, drop valve washer or suction cup rubber in a cistern as work you may do yourself.
- In WA, the homeowner list includes replacing a cistern washer.
Leave to a licensed plumber
- Any repair on the house side of the meter beyond those small cistern jobs.
- Finding and repairing an underground or in-wall pipe.
- Replacing a cistern's inlet or outlet valve.
- A written report of the leak for your water company.
Questions to ask the plumber
- Where was the leak, and how long might it have been running?
- Can you put the location, cause and repair date in writing?
- Is anything else in the house close to failing?
- Was the leak on my side of the meter?
What we would do
Test the meter before you ring the water company about the bill. If it moves with everything off, you have a leak, and fixing it fast stops the next bill growing too. Get a plumber who specialises in finding leaks, keep their invoice and report, and then talk to the water company with the paperwork in hand.