Customer Services

Detect A Water Leak

How to Find Your Leak

limits_responsibilityDetermine If You Have A Leak

If you think you may have a water leak, your water meter is your best detective to help you find it:

  • Turn off all faucets and water-using appliances, such as the dish and clothes washers.
  • Locate your water meter and lift the cover to see the meter dial.
  • Note the position of the sweep hand, or use a marker on the lens cover.
  • Wait 20-30 minutes (make sure nobody turns on a water-using appliance) and check the sweep hand location again. If the sweep hand has moved, you possibly could have a leak somewhere in your system.
  • Most meters have a "flow" indicator. If you see it moving when all water is off, you possibly could have a leak.

 

Determine If Your Leak Is Inside Or Outside Your House

First, determine you have a leak using the steps outlined above. If you have a leak, follow these steps:

If the meter has moved when the water is shut off to the house, you have a leak somewhere outside of the house.
If the meter has not moved when the water to the house is shut off, your leak is somewhere inside the house.

A few other tips to check for leaks:

  • Check for moist spots around and under the house plumbing and around outdoor plumbing.
  • Ask TVWD for a leak kit. This kit contains a drip gauge (to measure water wasted from a leaky faucet), dye tablets (to check for a leaky toilet), a TVWD "Billing Adjustment Policy" (explains procedures and adjustments customers may receive after repairing a leak), a TVWD "Billing Adjustment Request Form" (used to apply for a water loss adjustment), and Meter Reading and Water Conservation Tips. E-mail TVWD or call (503) 848-3056 to receive this kit.
  • Your toilet may have a silent leak. Drop a little food coloring into the tank. Wait about 10 minutes without flushing. If color appears in the bowl, you have a leak.

The Regional Water Providers Consortium also has some great videos on how to detect a leak.

 

Shutting Off Your Water

You may need to shut off your water to repair a leak. We have information to help you shut off your water.

 

Fixing A Leak

TVWD does not repair leaks on the customer side of the water meter. Any leak from the meter to the house or within the house is the customer's responsibility. We cannot recommend plumbers.

Leak Location

Responsbility

What Do I Do?
Between the street and the water meter  TVWD's  Call TVWD at (503) 642-1511
Outside the house (including the service line between the meter and the house, irrigation system, hose bib, water feature, swimming pool, etc.)  Customer
  • Fix it yourself
  • Contact a plumber*
  • Contact an irrigation contractor**
Inside the house  Customer  

*Places to look for a plumber include the phone book, online (search for "Leak Repairs" or "Plumbers") or ask a friend or relative
** Places to look for an irrigation contractor include the phone book, online (search for "Irrigation Contractor") or ask a friend or relative. The Regional Water Providers Consortium also has a How To Select An Irrigation Contractor brochure (PDF).

 

Water Leak Bill Adjustment

Did you recently repair a water leak? If so, you may be eligible for a partial billing adjustment for water use compared to the same period last year if all leaks are repaired within 30 days of discovery.