Your Water Meter

When Are Meters Read?

TCDC water meters are read twice annually by our meter readers and from these readings we produce your account.

How to Read Your Water Meter

All of the water meters used in the Thames-Coromandel District are of the digital metric type.  The display panel has both black and red figures.  The black on white figures represent cubic meters (m3) or thousands of litres.  For our reading of your consumption we only read these figures.

e.g. in this case 3746 m3

The figures in red are parts of cubic metres.  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.

Metres can have from one to four red digits. If your metre 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 cubic metres.

e.g.  in this case 3746.285m3 or 3,746,285 litres

Note:  All metric water meters show cubic metres (m3) in black on white and parts of cubic metres in red.

If your water meter is of a type that you cannot understand, please contact us for assistance.

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. Then all you need to do to determine the volume of water "lost" overnight is subtract the previous night's reading from the morning reading.

 Remember not to use any water during the night.

Example:  Early Morning Reading 7:00 a.m.

Example:  Previous Night Reading 10:00 p.m.

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.

3476.310

3746.285

     0.025 m3 or 25 litres

This gives the volume of water "lost" overnight. In this case in 9 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 ten (10) litres lost per hour is very significant and should definitely be investigated.

Business can do the same thing over the weekend if nobody is using the premises.

Note:  When doing this test you need to check with other occupants to check 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 assistance you should contact your plumber.

If you discover a leak on the road side of your meter, or in the meter box please contact our Customer Services Team.

Please Help Our Meter Readers

Most of our customers are very considerate and we would like to thank them for their co-operation.

Please keep the following points in mind.

Keep The Meter Clear

• It is each property owner's responsibility to ensure the meter and box is kept visible and accessible at all times.
  
  

• Cut back shrubs and grass around the meter box
  
  

• Don't bury the meter box
  
  

We Like Dogs

• But occasionally they decide they want to have taste of our meter readers.
  
  

• Please ensure that aggressive dogs are kept under control.

Fences And Gates

• Meters are usually installed outside the boundary but some may be installed inside the property.  In these cases reasonable access is required, usually in the form of an unlocked gate or site.

REMEMBER

If our meter reader is prevented from reading the meter, the account will have to be estimated, which is not always a fair solution.