A water bill that suddenly jumps, without any change in how you use water, usually means a leak you can't see. Before you call anyone, you can find out in about 30 minutes with your water meter.
The meter test
- Turn off every tap and anything that uses water: washing machine, dishwasher, irrigation and pool top-up.
- Find your meter. In most Benoni homes it's in a small box on the pavement near the front boundary.
- Write down the reading, including the small red dials or the moving digits on the right, or take a photo.
- Wait 30 minutes without using any water.
- Read it again. If the numbers moved, water is going somewhere: you have a leak.
Some meters also have a small star or triangle that turns. If it spins while everything is off, that's a leak too.
Narrow it down
- Toilets are the most common culprit. Put a few drops of food colouring in the cistern and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If colour shows in the bowl, the cistern valve is leaking.
- Geyser overflow: check whether the overflow pipe outside drips constantly. That can mean a faulty pressure valve. See geyser repair and replacement.
- Close the stopcock where the pipe enters the house, then do the meter test again. If the meter still moves, the leak is underground between the meter and the house. If it stops, the leak is inside.
- Look for damp patches on walls or floors, an unusually green strip of lawn, or the sound of running water at night.
Who pays?
Leaks on your side of the meter are your responsibility. Leaks on the municipal side, between the street main and the meter, are the City of Ekurhuleni's to fix. Report those to the municipality rather than paying a plumber.
When to call a plumber
If the meter test shows a leak and you can't find it, a plumber with leak detection equipment can find it without digging up the whole yard. Compare leak detection in Benoni and typical plumber prices.