How to Read Your Water Meter
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There are several reasons why you'd want to be able to locate and
read your water meter. First, you might be interested in just how much
water you use in a day. By reading your meter at the beginning and the
end of the day you can compare the two totals tell how much water you
and your family used. The second reason is to check
for leaks. If you turn off all the taps in your house, look
at your meter and it is still turning, chances are you have a leak somewhere.
Here are some hints to help you find and read your water meter:
STEP 1: Locate Your Meter
Your water meter is generally located near the curb in front of your
home or place of business in a direct line with the main outside faucet.
It is housed in a concrete box usually marked "water."
Carefully remove the lid by using a tool such as a large screwdriver.
Please, do not use your fingers. Insert the tool into one of the holes
and pry the lid off. Visually examine the area around the meter to make
sure there are no harmful insects or other animals. More details about finding your water meter...
STEP 2: Read Your Water Meter
All customers within the City of San Diego have their water use measured
by a meter. This results in each customer paying their share of operating
the system based upon the amount of water used.
All City of San Diego meters measure water in cubic feet (one cubic
foot equals about 7.5 gallons). Charges for the amount of water consumed
are based on the number of units of 100 cubic feet (748.5 gallons) you
use during a billing period.
There are two basic types of water meters -- the straight-reading meter
which resembles the an odometer in a car, and the round-reading meter
which has several separate dials.
How to Read Your Meter
 In
the meter at the right, the reading is taken from the figures shown
under the words CUBIC FEET. The meter reads 81,710, which is the total
number of cubic feet of water recorded since the meter was installed.
Because our charge is based on units of 100 cubic feet, the meter reader
discards the last two numbers (the ones with the black background).
So, this reading would actually be 817.
So, if by the time the we read your bills the next time you had used
1,200 cubic feet of water, the new reading would be 82,910 (81,710 plus
1,200). Again, we'd drop the last two numbers and your official reading
would be 829. Your bill would be figured by subtracting the old number
(817) from the new number (829). You would then be billed for 12 units.
It's important to note that the large sweep hand is used only for testing
purposes.
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