You and Your Water Meter
How to read your Meter
There are a number of meters in use throughout the Burdekin Shire, however, you are able to read them all in the same way. The display panel on your meter has both black and red figures. The black on white figures represent kilolitres or thousands of litres. For our readings of your consumption we only read these figures:-
The white on red figures are parts of kilolitres (they are read on your water meter). They are useful to assess the amount of water used over a short period of time for example if you are checking for leakage overnight.
Some meters have three red digits and some have four. If you meter has four red digits the best thing to do is ignore the last one (in this case the 9). This makes the maths easier.
By doing this the red digits show litres or thousandths of kilolitres e.g. in this case 3746.285kl or 3,746,285 litres.
Note: All metric water meters show kilolitres in black on white and parts of kilolitres in red.
If you water meter is of a type that you cannot understand please contact us for assistance. Council water meters are read twice per year and may be checked at random.
Overnight Leakage Test
If you read your water meter last thing at night and then first thing in the morning you can calculate how much water is being lost through leakage. Remember not to use any water during the night.
Remember - if your meter has a 4th red digit it is best to ignore it as this can lead to confusion.
Subtract the previous nights reading from the morning reading.
3746.310 - 3746.285 = 0.025kl or 25 litres.
This gives the volume of water 'lost' overnight. In this case in nine hours.
If you lose more than one (1) litre per hour, you should check for dripping taps, faulty toilet cisterns or other forms of leakage. Any more than 10 litres lost per hour is very significant and should definately be investigated.
Businesses can do the same thing over the weekend if no one is using the premises.
Note: When doing this test you have to check with other occupants as to whether they used any water overnight for example having a drink of water or flushing the toilet. If they did, try again the next night.
What to do with leaks
If you find you have a leak using the overnight leakage test, the leak is within your own plumbing system. This could be from the meter to the house or within the house. It is your responsibility to have this leak repaired. If you need more information, our customer service staff will be able to assist you.
If you discover a leak on the road side of your meter, or at the meter, please call us on 4783 9800.
Note: A leak on the Council's side of the meter will not register consumption on your meter.
Please help our meter readers
Most of our customers are very considerate and we would like to thank them for their co-operation. It is each property owner's responsibility to ensure that the meter is kept visible and accessible at all times. Please keep the following points in mind:
Keep the Meter Clear
- Cut back shrubs and grass around the meter
- Don't bury the meter
- Don't cement around the meter
Fences and Gates
- Meters are usually installed inside the property and reasonable access is required by meter reading staff.
We like dogs
- but occasionally they decide they want to have a taste of our meter readers. Please ensure that aggressive dogs are kept under control.