How to Run the Meter Test Step by Step
You need your water meter, a flashlight and about an hour. Pick a time when nobody will use water, such as early morning before showers.
Stop every use of water
Turn off faucets, the dishwasher, washing machine and ice maker. Make sure no one flushes a toilet during the test.
Find and read the meter
In most houses the meter sits near where the water line enters the basement. Note the full reading, including the small dial or triangle that spins with low flow.
Look at the leak indicator
If the meter has a small triangle, star or red dial, watch it. Any movement with all water off is a sign of flow somewhere.
Wait and read again
Leave everything off for at least thirty minutes. For slow leaks, wait a couple of hours before reading, and do not use water in between.
Compare the two readings
A changed number means water is leaving the system. No change means the high bill probably came from use, a rate change or an estimated read.
Reading the Result Without Guessing
If the meter moves, the next question is where the leak is. Turn off the main valve inside the house and check the meter once more. If it still spins with the house valve closed, the leak is between the meter and the valve, which usually means the service pipe outside or in the foundation wall.
If the meter stops when the house valve is closed, the leak is inside the house or at an outdoor faucet. That narrows the search to toilets, water heaters, softeners, irrigation, hose bibs and lines inside walls and under slabs.
Meter still moving with everything off?
That points to a leak somewhere past the meter. Call and we will explain how we find it without opening walls first.
Common Hidden Leaks and How to Check Them
Most hidden leaks fall into a handful of places. This table lists each one with a check you can do yourself.
| Source | How it shows up | Check you can do | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet flapper or fill valve. | A faint hiss, tank that refills on its own. | Dye test in the tank, wait twenty minutes. | Replace the worn part. |
| Dripping faucet or shower valve. | Steady drip, mineral stain at the spout. | Look and listen with the room quiet. | Repair the cartridge or washer. |
| Water heater relief valve. | Wet floor near the tank or a drain pipe dripping. | Look at the discharge pipe for moisture. | Have the valve and tank checked. |
| Outdoor hose bib or irrigation line. | Soft ground, green patch, hose bib weeping. | Walk the line and inspect with the house valve open. | Isolate and repair the line. |
| Service pipe to the house. | Meter spins with the house valve closed. | Check for wet spots along the line. | Locate and repair the pipe. |
| Pipe inside a wall or floor. | Stain, warm spot, musty smell. | Touch walls and floors for dampness. | Use leak detection before opening anything. |
A toilet is the most common culprit and the cheapest to find. A silent toilet leak can waste a bathtub's worth of water in a day without a single drip you can see.
Before you open any walls, rule out the boring explanations. A billing period with a long month, houseguests, a new baby, filling a pool or watering a new lawn all raise usage. An estimated meter read can also be corrected by the next actual read, so compare the number on your bill to the number on your meter.
Check the bill for the date of the last actual reading and the gallons used. If that gallon figure does not match what the meter shows, call the utility's billing office to ask about the read.
A 15 Minute Leak Walk-Through
Do this after the meter test shows movement and before you call anyone.
- Run the dye test in every toilet tank, with the water off for twenty minutes.
- Listen at each faucet, tub spout and showerhead for hissing or a faint drip.
- Look under sinks and behind the washing machine for damp cabinets or hoses that feel soft.
- Check the water heater and its discharge pipe for moisture or rust streaks.
- Look at the ceiling below any bathroom or laundry for stains or a bulge.
- Walk the outside of the house and the line to the hose bib for soft or unusually green ground.
Note what you find, even if it seems small. A damp spot near a pipe is exactly the kind of detail that shortens a leak search.
When to Shut the Water Off and Call Right Away
Close the main valve and call if you see water coming through a ceiling, a wall that feels warm and wet, or ground that is bubbling near the house. If water is near outlets or light fixtures, switch off the circuit at the breaker only if you can reach the panel without stepping in water.
A pipe leaking behind a wall can be located without cutting open the whole room. Our leak detection service uses listening and moisture tools to narrow the spot first, so the opening in the wall is small. If the problem is the pipe between the street and your house, a water service line repair may be the answer.
Hawthorne Water Bills, Meters and Service Lines
Hawthorne's water comes from the borough's own Water Department, which draws groundwater from 21 wells. The borough raised 2026 water rates by 5 percent, so a bill that looks higher may reflect the new rate even when your usage is the same. Compare gallons used on this bill to the same period last year, not just the dollar total.
The borough has a plan to replace all galvanized service lines by June 30, 2031. It pays for the work from the main to the curb and from the curb to the meter.
The in-house plumbing, a leaking valve and the pipe from the curb to the house are the owner's responsibility, so a meter that spins with the house valve closed is worth reporting to the Water Department and then to a plumber. Ask the Department which section of line is yours before you pay for any digging.
Who to Call and What to Say
Call the Water Department first if you think the leak is on the street side of the meter or at the curb. Call a plumber if the meter stops when the house valve is closed, or if you found a damp wall, a wet ceiling or a running toilet.
Tell us the result of the meter test and what you checked. We also serve Wyckoff and other nearby towns, and leaks do not keep office hours, so the line is open all night.
Common Questions
Thirty minutes is enough to show a large leak. For a slow one, wait one to two hours and do not use any water in the meantime. Take a photo of the meter at the start and end so you can compare.
Yes. A small drip can add up over a billing period, and a running toilet wastes far more than most people expect. Slab leaks and broken service pipes can run for weeks before a bill shows it.
Yes. Note the odometer digits and watch the sweep hand or small dial, if there is one. If the digits or the dial move with every fixture off, water is moving.
That depends on the policy and on what caused the leak. Sudden pipe failures are often treated differently from slow seepage or wear. Ask your insurer before repairs begin, and we can describe the work in writing.
Generally the property owner is responsible for the pipe on the house side of the meter, and the borough for its own side. In Hawthorne the owner covers the curb to house service pipe and any leaking valve. Ask the Water Department to confirm where the line changes hands for your address.
Yes, it can. The borough raised 2026 water rates by 5 percent, so the same usage costs more than last year. Compare gallons used on the bill to the same period a year ago, and run the meter test only if the gallons are up.
Local figures on this page come from the Hawthorne Water Department's 2026 Water Quality Report. Check current numbers with those sources before you rely on one.