Wasting water is bad for the environment and your wallet. Consequently, stopping water leaks as soon as possible is critical for conserving water and avoiding high utility bills. Even the tiniest hole can leak thousands of gallons of water a month, so no one can afford to ignore water leaks for long. For these reasons, you should learn how to detect a water leak in Lake County. Follow these tips to check for common indoor and outdoor leaks around your home.

How to Read Your Water Meter in Lake County

As you know, your water meter tracks how much water your house uses. Therefore, learning to read your water meter is useful for understanding your water usage, minimizing your water bills, and detecting water leaks.

In Lake County, your water meter may be located in your house in places such as on a front wall facing the street, near the water heater, or in a utility room. Or, your water heater may be in an underground meter pit outside your house. These pits are usually located near the curb or edge of your front yard property line in a circular or rectangular covered box.

Your water meter features a counter with six digits, and it reads like your car’s mileage indicator. The four numbers on the left record your water usage in Hundred Cubic Feet (HCF). One HCF equals 748 gallons, and an HCF is the unit of water that appears on your water bill. The two numbers on the far right aren’t included in your bill, but they can help you measure your water usage.

To determine how much water you use in a day, you must read your meter once a day for two consecutive days. Then, you need to subtract the first day’s reading from the second day’s reading. The answer will be in HCFs, so you must multiply the number by 748 to learn how many gallons of water you use over the course of a day.

How to Shut Off Your Water in Lake County

Along with knowing how to detect leaks by reading your water meter, you also need to know how to shut off your water system. Your main shut-off valve controls all the water coming into your house. To minimize damage and expenses in the event of a leak, you must know where your shut-off valve is located and how to turn it off.

In many homes, your shut-off valve is near your water meter or close to where the water pipe enters your home. You should test your shut-off valve to ensure it works properly. The design of your shut-off valve may be a ball valve or a gate valve.

A ball valve generally only requires a quarter turn to close. When closed, the handle will be perpendicular to the water line. When open, the handle will be parallel to the water line.

A gate valve is usually closed by turning the handle clockwise. If the valve doesn’t close easily, you shouldn’t force it. Instead, you should consider having it repaired so it closes easily.

Once you have closed your shut-off valve, you should check sinks and other fixtures to confirm that you have closed the main valve and that it is working properly. To turn the water back on, you should slowly turn the valve until it is fully reopened.

How to Detect a Water Leak in Lake County

As mentioned, reading your water meter can help you detect a water leak. Near the center of your water meter display is a colored triangle or asterisk. This symbol is your flow indicator; it moves whenever water is running through your water system. Consequently, it can help you identify leaks. So, to detect a water leak in Lake County, take the following steps:

• Turn off all indoor and outdoor water-using appliances, such as sinks, showers, hoses, etc.

• Observe the flow indicator on your water meter for five minutes to see if it turns.

• If it turns while you are not using water, you have a water leak. If it does not move during that time, you probably don’t have a water leak.

Alternatively, you can follow these steps:

• Turn off all indoor and outdoor water-using appliances, such as sinks, showers, hoses, etc.

• Check your water meter and record its reading.

• Wait two hours. Do not use any water during this time.

• Check your water meter again. If the reading has changed, you probably have a water leak.

How to Locate a Water Leak in Lake County

If you’ve used your water meter to determine that you have a leak, you can narrow down where the leak is by taking these steps:

• Close your house shut-off valve.

• Check your water meter.

• If the flow indicator moves within a few minutes, the leak is outside, probably in the irrigation system or the underground service line between the meter and the house.

• If the flow indicator doesn’t move, then the leak is inside your house. A toilet is the most likely source of the leak, or a faucet may be to blame.

If the leak is outdoors, you should check your irrigation system first. Irrigation valves are prone to sticking open, and faucet spigots for hoses can drip. Next, check the ground above your underground service line for water or muddy spots between the meter and the house. If you don’t see any signs of a leak, you should seek help from a professional plumber.

If the leak is indoors, check the toilet tanks first. A dye test can tell you if the silent, rubber flap is the cause of the leak. To conduct a dye test, place dye in the tank and wait five minutes. If the dye enters the bowl, you have a flapper leak. If none of your toilets are leaking, you should inspect all your other water-using appliances and fixtures.

How to Fix a Water Leak in Lake County

Some common water leaks are easy to fix yourself. You can replace a toilet flapper or clean a stuck irrigation valve. But other leaks, such as service line leaks, are more complex. In those cases, you need the help of a professional plumber.

Thankfully, Hatz Plumbing can fix any indoor or outdoor leak in your water system. Our team of experts will confirm the presence of a leak, locate it efficiently, and repair it effectively. No matter what kind of leak it is, Hatz can handle it. So, to eliminate a water leak fast, call Hatz!