Your water meter is used to record the amount of water that has been utilised by a property. It is generally located within 1 - 2 metres of the front property boundary, however, for units, rural or commercial properties, this may not be the case.
To maintain integrity in metering consumption, Council has on ongoing meter renewal program, renewing all meters older than 10 years.
Council is responsible for maintenance of the water service from the tapping on the water main up to and including the water meter. Council will replace or repair the property service (plumbing between the water main and the meter), the isolation valve and the meter.
The property owner is responsible for maintaining all plumbing that runs from the meter to service the property. If damage has occurred to the water meter or service pipework Council may seek to recover costs of any repairs carried out.
Your meter is read by contracted meter readers tri-annually. Any consumption that has passed through the meter since the last reading will be billed to the registered occupant of the property. Council offers special water meter reads in conjunction with 603 Certificate applications for a fee. Reading your water meter is easy
All meters will have dials showing the amount of water that has been consumed since the meter was installed. These dials are coloured black and red, and range from six to nine dials depending on the size and make of your meter.
As per the diagram, the black numbered dials indicate how many kilolitres of water has passed through the meter. The red numbered dials indicate how many litres have passed through the meter.
Council uses the black dials only when obtaining a reading from a property.
There is a simple test which can be performed to determine whether there are any leaks on a property. Turn off all household taps and record the reading on the counter. Do not operate any water outlets for two hours and record a second reading.
If there is a difference between the two readings, a leak is present and a licensed plumber will be required to repair the service.
On the meter assembly, prior to the meter you will find your isolation valve. This may be in the form of a spindle stop tap or a right angled ball valve.
Closing the valve will isolate the water supply to your property. This is recommended to be turned off if you are aware of a leak on your property that is awaiting repair by a plumber, or if you are planning a holiday and will not be on the property for an extended period of time.
