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Resource Management Division > Utility Customer Service
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Service and Information
4200 Leeland / Houston, TX 77023
Phone: 713.371.1400
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How
to check for a Leak
To check for hidden water leakage such as a leak between
the water meter and the house, or within the house itself:
- Turn off all indoor and outdoor faucets and water using
appliances.
- Go to your meter and observe it for 5 to 10 minutes. If the
meter (dial or gauge) continues to move, a leak is likely.
Note: Meter boxes often have spring-loaded latches that require you
to insert something into the slot in order to release the catch. Please
use caution when opening the box in this manner. Crimping or cutting
the wires can result in erroneous bills.
The most common causes of leaks are dripping faucets, leaking joints,
and bad toilets. Slow drips can waste 170 gallons of water per day,
or 5,000 gallons in a month.
Toilet leaks are the hardest to detect. By the time you can hear a
toilet running, it has probably been leaking slowly for some months.
Leaks are caused by two things: mis-adjusted or worn floats, and worn
flappers. Badly adjusted floats allow too much water to enter the tank.
Excess water will flow down the overflow tube into the bowl. Remove
the top of the toilet tank and look inside. The water should come to
within 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the overflow tube. Adjust the float if necessary.
Detecting a bad flapper is more difficult. It should be smooth, not
pitted, and fall back into the drain correctly and easily. Although
you can drain the tank to feel the flapper, it is often easier to check
using food coloring or flavored drink mix. This test will also detect
a bad float.
Coloring Test
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Step
1: Drop Food Coloring or dry flavored drink mix in tank that does not
already contain coloring agent such as bowl cleaner. |
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Step
2: Wait 15 -30 minutes without flushing commode. |
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Step
3: Check to see if any of the color appears in the bowl without
flushing. |
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Step
4: The culprit is probably a worn-out ball cock (float) or
flapper. Replace. (Cost a few dollars, available even at grocery
stores). May be eligible for leak adjustment. |
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