a simple way to check for water leaks and save money

Turn off all the water in your house, and then locate your main water meter. Most water meters are in the front yard, under either a rectangular plastic cover, or a round iron cover. Most water meters will have a small red triangle, called a flow indicator. It shouldn't be moving. If it is, go back in the house, and turn off the water supply on your toilets and sinks one at a time, until the triangle quits moving.

See the yellow circled area in the picture to the right...that's the flow indicator. If that doesn't stop the flow, try the main shutoff valves for your sprinklers, water softener, swamp coolers, etc. A "running" toilet can leak anywhere from 7,000 gallons a month up to more than ten times that amount. So, finding and fixing those leaks is worth it. Also see our leaking water calculator to find out about how much water a leaky faucet wastes.