Where is my water meter, and how do I read it?
Your meter is located in the basement of your property or in cases where there is no basement, in an underground meter pit. These pits are dug low enough in the ground that it should prevent meters from freezing. Meters located in a pit can make them sometimes difficult to repair in the winter months. The water usually comes in from the street side of the house. The meter sits on the water pipe that comes in through the floor. The head of the meter is about three inches in diameter and has a large hand and a small red diamond or triangle. Read the six numbers on the meter display, where it says cubic feet, from left to right. Residents in Winchester are billed for every 100 cubic feet only the first four numbers are used for billing.
Note: You may see what looks like water on the face of the dial. It is oil that prevents corrosion and increases the life of the dial mechanism. It does not enter the water supply and does not affect the quality of the water delivered to the customer.
How does the town read the meter?
Most of the water meters in Winchester have a meter pad on the outside of their home. This pad is contacted by wire to the meter whether in a pit or in the basement and allows for transfer of information to be read by the touch of a handheld device, called a meter reader, every quarter by the water department staff. ~
Note: The Winchester Water Department is currently under going a major upgrade to its metering system to a radio read unit. These new devices allow for the hand held units to receive a radio frequency signal by driving by your home. The installation of these new devices will take some time but will be a more efficient way of transferring data as well as saving many hours of reading meters. Radio readers have the ability to receive a frequency from 150 feet away.
What is a unit of water?
Water usage is measured by consumption units. One consumption unit is 100 cubic feet or about 748 gallons. A container five feet long by five feet wide and four feet high holds one consumption unit.
I have a higher than normal water bill, what do I do?
There are several actions that can be taken to deduce why your bill is higher than normal. First check all of the water fixtures in and around your house for leaks and/or proper functioning. A dripping water faucet can account for 25 or more gallons per day and steady streams of water contributing hundreds of gallons per day to your water bill. With our experience we have found that toilets are more prone to leaks than any other fixture. Open the toilet tank and inspect the overflow and adjust the float to keep the tank level approximately 1” below the top of the overflow tube. You can also put food coloring, Kool-Aid or any other biodegradable coloring into the toilet tank and watch for the water in the toilet bowl to change colors. A color change in the toilet bowl can indicate that there is a leak in the flapper
valve that is located at the bottom of the toilet tank. Replacing the internals of the typical toilet costs around $15 for do-it-yourselfers and should take less than an hour to accomplish. You can also call your plumber to assist you with this repair. Water lines that feed from the house to a garden, barn or other part of the property is always a suspect in a high bill. These lines may have leaks in them that do not appear above ground. When not in use we suggest that these lines be shut off at the house to reduce the risk of leaks and a high water bill. After you have checked your home and repaired the leaks that were found, you may call the Water Department to check your usage with a new meter reading and for more assistance in locating leaks.
Why is my bill estimated?
Estimating bills is a practice the Winchester Water Department feels is neither fair to the customer nor is it an accurate record of your homes usage. In most cases a water bill is estimated because the meter pad is inaccessible to water department staff by obstructions of snow, fencing, bushes and other debris. Reading over 1100 meters can be a timely task, sometimes taking as long as two weeks. For safety reasons, the water department staff is not authorized to remove or move any obstruction preventing them from attaining an accurate read. Nothing lasts forever and that goes for your meter and pad. Pads are exposed to the elements of weather so it is possible for them to eventually stop working, although a large majority of Winchester’s homes have a pad from their original installation. When water department
staff discovers your pad is no longer working they will either repair it at time of discovery or return to your home before the next quarter closes. Sometimes your pad cannot be read because a homeowner has inadvertently disconnected the wire from inside the house. If this happens the water department will try to inform you and try to schedule an appointment. It is important know where your pad and meter is located. Building dog pens, putting up fences, placing dumpsters, etc. in front of your pad will result in an inability to access your meter pad. Building shelving units, storage cabinets or closing off your meter with sheetrock walls will result in an inability to easily access your meter for testing, repair or replacement. Note: If you are repairing or replacing vinyl siding or clapboards please call the water department for safe removal of your home’s pad and wires. Removal of the pad and wire does not stop your meter from calculating usage. When your project is
complete the water department will reinstall your pad and properly hook it back up to the meter. Please make these arrangements with the Water Department at 239.4951, ext.105
Why is my consumption so high?
Consumption may be high for many reasons. If a bill is estimated too low for a length of time, an actual meter reading may result in a large increase. More people may be living in the household. During the summer, water consumption may be higher because you are watering the lawn or garden, or an outside hose may be left on. In commercial situations, you may have water-cooled air conditioning or your business may have increased or changed adding to water usage. Often, consumption may be high because of leaky plumbing.
Can I test the accuracy of my water meter?
Customers often think the meter is not working right causing high readings. To test the accuracy of your meter, use the following procedure:
Run water until the test dial (the red sweep hand located on the face of the meter) points to zero. The test hand will be straight up in the 12 o'clock position when it is on zero. Fill a one-gallon container with water. Check the position of the red test dial. It should measure .1333 cubic feet.
What if I feel my bill is too high due to a faulty meter?
Customers may request a meter test be performed by the water department staff. There is a fee for this service and the fee must be paid before the meter is tested. Contact the Water Department at 239.4951, ext.105 to set up an appointment.
How can the water meter tell me if I have a leak?
Newer types of water meters have a leak indicator on the face of the dial; see the photo. It is a triangular or diamond-shaped indicator that revolves 354 times for every gallon of water that passes through the meter.
To check for leaks, look at the indicator when no one is drawing water. It should not be moving. If it is moving, check every plumbing fixture at the property, i.e., toilet, sink, outside sprinkler, washer, etc. Shut off the valves that supply each fixture, one by one, and check the indicator after each shutoff. When closing a valve stops the indicator from moving, or slows its movement, you have found the location of a leak. There may be more than one leak!Once the leak is repaired, check the leak indicator again and make sure all leaks are repaired.
I need to have my water shut off to make repairs in my home, how do I make this arrangement?
Call the Water Department during normal working hours and make an appointment to have us shut your water off at the street. We do ask that you give us a couple of days advance notice to ensure that we are available to have the water off during your planned repairs. We have found that if you are having a plumber making your repairs that your plumber should contact us directly to make these arrangements for easier scheduling. For emergency repairs call our office during normal working hours or the Winchester Police Department for emergencies that occur after our normal working hours.
There is water running down the road, whom do I call?
The first thing to do is to look around and see if any work is in progress in the area and to check the weather. If it has recently rained, look at where the storm drains are located, are they plugged or damaged? If they are then a call to the Winchester Highway Department is the appropriate action to take. Also, the Water Department maybe flushing a hydrant or pumping out a trench where work is taking place. There are areas in town where natural springs occur and these springs are many times the culprit, you may ask a long time resident of the neighborhood if they are aware of any springs in the area. Then of course there are true water main breaks or leaks that we unfortunately get from time to time. If you cannot easily identify where the water is coming from, feel free to call the Water Department and we will
investigate and determine where the water is coming from and make repairs if necessary or contact the proper authority who has the responsibility for that particular situation.
What are “Misc. Charges” on my bill?
There are many categories of “Misc. Charges” that could be listed on your bill. Some are past amounts due, interest on past due amounts, services or parts that the Water Department has provided to you, fees for turning on or off your water for various reasons and dozens of other charges that are to numerous to list. For questions on your “Misc. Charges” you can call the Water Department for an explanation.
I am selling/buying a house in Winchester that has Town water, what must I do to have a smooth transition from one owner to the next?
Your lawyer, realtor or Title Company should contact us at least several days before final closing. After they give us this notification we will read the water meter and generate a final bill to be settled at the closing. The seller of the property is the one normally responsible to pay this bill unless there is an agreement with all parties involved in the sale or purchase. If a final water bill is not settled at the closing, the new owner will be held responsible for this bill. Also, the new owner should contact us soon after the final closing and give us the current contact information that will be used to update our files.
When I run my water I can hear a noise that sounds like it is coming from my plumbing, what could be causing this?
This is a popular question with very few definite answers. Occasionally the water meter maybe the culprit due to uneven wearing of the internal parts or from debris that has built up inside the meter to interfere with the normal movement of the meter parts. Another possibility is the expansion or contraction of your pipes as they cool or heat. As the pipes expand or contract they can rub or slip within the pipe hangers or clamps. Air bubbles inside your pipes can also cause noise in your plumbing. Whenever work is done on your plumbing, or when we have a water main break, air is let into the plumbing and can cause noise inside the pipes as the bubbles move about. A solution to this, or to confirm if this is the cause, is to open your faucets and let the water run to remove the trapped air bubbles. Some times the noise is
not from the plumbing but from either a water-using device, a pipe that is touching another appliance such as a furnace or washer/dryer or a sump pump. Conducting a complete inspection of your plumbing to provide your plumber or us with more information will help us with finding a solution to your noise problem.
My water pressure or water volume has been decreasing over time, what is causing this problem?
We will discuss a few of the major reasons for this problem.
-Many homes have pressure-regulating devices installed; occasionally they need adjustment or replacement to work properly.
-A leak in your service line may be the culprit. A leak never goes away but it does steadily get larger, the larger the leak the less water volume and pressure you may see in your home.
-On occasion debris may build up in your plumbing especially in the aerators/strainers of your faucets and water using appliances. Periodic cleaning of all of your faucets, laundry machines, dishwashers, shower heads, hot water tank and other water using devices will help to keep them clean and to give them a longer service life to you and your family.
The plumbing in my house appears to be “leaking” or “sweating”, what is the cause of this and how do I fix it?
This “sweating” is actually condensation building up on the outside of your pipes. This condensation is due to the cold water inside your pipes and the humid air on the outside of your pipes which produces the “sweating” or “leaking” that you see. To rid yourself of this problem you can insulate your pipes with pre-formed pipe insulation that is available at most hardware and department stores. You can also set up fans to keep the air circulating around your pipes to reduce or prevent condensation from forming. Another solution, but a more expensive one, is to install dehumidifiers near your plumbing. A dehumidifier will remove moisture in the air and produce dryer conditions throughout your home, which eliminates conditions that must exist to have condensation form.
I have a blue/green stain in my sinks, shower and toilet, what is causing this?
The blue/green stains that are commonly present in sinks and other fixtures are due to copper in the water. When the interior of copper pipes corrode or dissolves, the water that is used in your home may deposit some of this copper corrosion in your sinks, toilets, showers and other water using fixtures. Our water has a trace amount of copper in it and is well below the amounts allowed by the Federal and State governments. Most copper found in drinking water is due to the copper being dissolved from the water service, your plumbing and your plumbing fixtures. It has been found by scientific studies that up to 80% of the copper that is leached into the water in a customer home is from faucets within the home. We add a chemical to reduce this type of corrosion but it is not intended to fix this problem 100% but to reduce
the possibility of high concentrations copper in your water. The Winchester Water Department recommends the use of Lime Away, CLR, Red Be Gone and similar cleaning agents to remove these stains, please check the manufacturers instructions for cleaning your particular fixture and to follow the instructions on the label of the cleaner you choose to use.
Quick Billing Facts and Understanding Your Bill
- Current water rates are $1.70 per cubic feet, in addition to a $20.00 per quarter/per household fee and a $55.00 per quarter/per household fee. Your water meter records every 100 cubic feet your home uses each quarter. Sewer rates are $4.75 per cubic feet of water used. Water and Sewer bill are measured at the point of entry not the exit.
- Every water meter has a manufacturer’s serial number. The Winchester Water Department uses this number as your account number. So, if your meter is replaced your home will be assigned a new account number.
- Each billing period is 3 months. At the end of each quarter the water department staff reads your meter (as described above), writes the series of numbers transmitted to the hand held reader and then the water department staff transfers that data to a template generated by our billing software. That data is then manually entered into the billing software, automatically calculated and then transferred to “Tax Collect” for mailing.
- Q1 is Nov., Dec. and January, period closes January 31
- Q2 is Feb., March and April, period closes April 30
- Q3 is May, June and July, period closes July 30
- Q4 is Aug., Sept. and October, period closes October 31
Immediately following the close of each billing period meter reads begin.
Note: Winchester’s Water Department reads your meter and manages account data. By law, tax collect is the only department that can receive your water and sewer payment.
- To ensure your bill is accurate simply compare the numbers on your meter(to learn more about your meter go to the Consumer’s Corner Page and click on “Anatomy of a Meter”) to the numbers on your bill in the lower left hand corner under “Meter Readings”. “Current:” indicates your most current read and “Previous:” indicates the last quarters read and below that is your usage your account was billed for.
You will not get a bill if you have the water department turn your water OFF from the water main. If you do not use water but do not have the water turn your water off from the water main you will be charged the quarterly rate for water and sewer where applicable.
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