Water meters are used to measure water usage. On all of Council's water supplies, there are bulk meters constantly recording the amount of water abstracted or taken from the water sources. The information gathered from these meters helps us to monitor our supplies and determine whether major leaks have occured within the pipework.
The data is also used to check water pump performance and power efficiency, as well as ensuring that the maximum Water Abstraction Levels, set by the Regional Council's, are not exceeded.
Certain properties within the Rotorua district are metered and they are billed on the amount of water consumed.
Council's Metering Policy
At the present time, Council's policy is to meter all extra-ordinary (non-domestic) and extra-territorial water connections in the Urban supplies, Central Eastern and Ngongotaha.
Extra-ordinary basically means any propertry that is not used solely for domestic purposes and includes properties used for Commercial, Industrial and Farming purposes. It also includes large domestic properties, in excess of 2000 square metres, as well as properties that contain 3 or more domestic dwellings under the same ownership, such as a block of flats.
All water connections to the Rural supplies are metered regardless of use or property size.
Future Metering
Whilst some local authorities meter all consumers, including domestic houses, the Rotorua District Council has no plans to do so in the Rotorua Urban area.
There are a few non-domestic consumers within the Urban area that are not currently metered, for one reason or another. Since 1989, Council has been progressively checking connections area by area and fitting meters to these connections.
Water Meters
Water meters are devices installed on a water connection or pipe that can measure the quantity of water that flows through them. Depending on the meter size, they can record flows of less than 1litre per minute.
There are several different types of meters that Council uses. Some use the water flow to turn impellors, others electronically record the flow rate and calculate the volume through a known length of pipe.
Meters are calibrated to measure within specific limits of accuracy, however this accuracy diminishes over time and Council has adopted a policy of replacing meters every 15 years. Planned meter replacement programmes will be commencing soon in some of the older supplies.
How to read a water meter
For those that have a water meter, it is a good idea to read it regularly, say every month. This way, if a leak occurs within your property you will be able to fix it sooner and avoid the shock of a large water bill.
All meters have a dial similar to the odometer of a car and measure the volume in cubic metres. Apart from a few commercial meters, the dial should have a series of black and red numbers.
The black numbers are whole cubic metres and these are recorded by the meter reader. One cubic metre of water is equal to 1,000 litres (or 500 2 litre plastic milk containers). The red numbers indicate the parts of a cubic metre, and there may be up to 4 red numbers.
How do I check for a water leak in my property
Sometimes your metered water readings may be higher than usual. There are a number of things you can check to discover the reason for this.
Have a look at your meter. If the numbers are spinning around on the dial then a lot of water is being used. A check is required either by a plumber or by following a simple check list to eliminate problem areas.
If a leak is detected, firstly ascertain which side of the meter the leak is on. If the leak is on your property, then a plumber is required. If it is found on Council's side (from the road to the meter), then advise Council immediately and we will arrange for it to be fixed, free of charge.
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.
Example: Early Morning Reading 7.00am 3746.310
Previous Nights Reading 10.00pm 3746.285
The Difference 0.025 cubic metres or 25 litres
This gives the volume of water "lost" overnight, in this case over a 9 hour period. If you lose more than one litre per hour, you should check for dripping taps and such like. Any more than ten litres lost per hour is very significant and should be thoroughly checked out.
NOTE: When doing this test you have to check with other occupants as to whether they used any water overnight e.g. having a drink of water or flushing the toilet. If they did, try again next night.
  Things to Check if your consumption has increased.
* Check for leaking taps both inside and outside the house.
* Have you used more water lately? For example, have you increased use of your sprinkler systems or hoses?
* Check to see that the hot water cylinder roof overflow pipe is not leaking.
* Have there been any recent additions or renovations to your property?
* Does your lawn have any wet or unusually green patches in it?
* Have you noticed any soft or wet patches in your driveways or paths?
* Have your living arrangements changed? Are there more people in the house, new-borns etc.
* If you live on a farm, are stock water troughs functioning efficiently?
* If you own a business, are your urinals working properly? Make sure they are not running continuously.
* In rental properties, have there been any changes in occupancy?
Any of these things can cause your water consumption to rise considerably. If you have gone through the checklist and everything checks out okay, then conduct the overnight leakage test detailed above.
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