How do I check for a water leak?

First, you can determine if you have a leak by checking your water meter.  About 90 percent of all residential water meters are located in the front sidewalk area.

Start by turning off all the water fixtures inside and outside the home, and make sure nobody else in the house is using any water. Your water meter should have a little black “low flow indicator” triangle on the white portion of the face. You can quickly identify a leak by just checking to see if the low flow indicator is rotating when you know all water is turned off inside and outside the house. If you determine there is a leak, here are some tips for your water leak search…

• Faucets or showerheads may have small drips which can result in hundreds of gallons of water being wasted each day. Check each fixture to see if it is dripping. Most faucet or showerhead leaks are due to worn washers which can easily be replaced.
• Toilet leaks are often the cause of wasted water. To check your toilet for leaks, simply remove the tank lid and drop in several drops of food coloring. Wait 10 minutes. If the colored water appears in the bowl, you have a leak. If you identify a leak in the toilet you should find out what components are defective and see that they are repaired as soon as possible. You can get toilet repair and replacement kits at the local hardware store or contact a plumber for assistance.
• Check your sprinkler system Shut off the anti-siphon valve that serves your sprinkler system. Check the black low flow indicator triangle at the water meter. If the flow indicator stopped moving, the sprinkler system is the problem.
• Check your water softener. Most water softeners have a bypass lever. Turn the lever to allow water to bypass the softener. Check the black low flow indicator triangle at the meter. If the triangle is no longer moving, you have isolated the leak to your softener (you also can check for leaking swamp coolers, water-cooled air conditioners, ice machines and reverse osmosis units by turning the bypass lever on each and checking the meter).
• Check your main service line. First, you need to find your water shutoff valve. This is usually in your front yard near the garden hose, in your garage or near your water softener unit. Shut off the valve, cutting off all water to your home, and go in the house and turn on a faucet to make sure the water is off. Check the black low flow indicator triangle at the meter. If the black triangle is moving, the leak is between the shutoff valve and the water meter.

Now What?

If you have found a simple leak like your toilet flapper or kitchen faucet, you may want to fix the problem yourself. If you are not able to find or fix the leak, call a professional plumber.