1. First, make sure all water is turned off inside and outside the home. This test must be performed when no water equipment is used, such as irrigation controllers, clothes washers, dishwashers, etc.
2. Record the reading of the water meter, and wait 15 minutes. It is important no one uses any water during this time.
3. Record the reading of the meter again. If the meter has recorded water use during the test, it might be due to a leak. Verify that the water use is not due to small appliances such as water filters, water softeners, or whole house humidifiers.
The meter test only verifies large leaks. Using this test you cannot verify that small leaks do not exist within the home. Even when leaks are detected, this test does not indicate the location of the leaks. Further investigation is needed to detect and locate all significant leaks.