The meter is the usual dividing point between the utility's service line and the house plumbing, but the rule for a particular property depends on the service and the account. Close every fixture and watch the meter: a meter that keeps turning with the house shut off points to the utility side, and a meter that stops points to the house side.
Key takeaways
- A meter that keeps moving with every fixture off shows water leaving the system somewhere between the street and the meter, or at the meter.
- The utility repairs its side of the meter, and the owner repairs the house side through a plumber.
- Where the leak sits decides which trade or utility is called first, and that is the first question the crew asks.
- A wet patch over the service line, worse after a thaw, points to the utility side even when the water reaches the house.
- Ask the utility which side of the meter it maintains for your address, and keep that answer with your records.
Where does the utility's responsibility end?
The utility's responsibility usually runs from its main to the meter, and the house plumbing starts after the meter. The arrangement depends on the service and the property, so the exact point is confirmed by the utility for your address rather than assumed from the look of the pipe.
The meter is the usual dividing point because it is where the utility's measurement ends and the house's supply begins. A property may have the meter inside the house, at the street or in a pit, and each arrangement changes where the boundary sits in practice.
Ask the utility on its own line which side of the meter it maintains for your property. Write down the answer, the date and the name of the person you spoke to, because that answer decides who repairs a leak on the pipe between the street and the house.
When the boundary is unclear, the cost of guessing is high. A plumber who repairs the wrong side wastes a visit, and a utility that is asked to repair a house-side fault will decline the job. A written answer from the utility about your property is the simplest way to avoid both mistakes.
How do I test whether the leak is before or after the meter?
Close every tap, toilet and appliance that uses water, then read the meter. Repeat the reading after an hour. A reading that keeps changing points outside the house, and a reading that holds steady points to the house side or to a fixture still running.
Check the toilets first, because a toilet that fills slowly is one of the most common hidden leaks, and it looks like a supply leak on the meter. Put a few drops of food colouring in the tank and wait to see whether it leaks into the bowl.
Write down the reading, the time and the weather. Cold ground and a thaw can change where the water shows, and a note of the conditions helps the utility and the crew understand what they are looking at.
A reading taken at the same point each time is more useful than a reading taken at a different time of day. Use the same meter face, the same method and the same notebook, and the record will show a trend even when a single reading is inconclusive.
What does a wet patch in the yard tell me?
A wet patch over the line between the street and the house, especially one that is worse after a thaw or a cold night, suggests a break on the service line. A wet patch that sits under a floor or inside a wall is on the house side.
Walk the line and note any soft or green ground, any sunken patch and any water that runs toward the house. Photograph each place and note the distance from the meter. Water from a service line can travel a long way before it reaches the surface, so the patch is not always above the break.
Do not dig to find the line without a locate, because service lines can be shallow and a dig can cut the pipe or injure someone. A locate is carried out before any digging begins, and the utility or a locating service can arrange it.
Keep in mind that a leak can be on both sides of the meter at once. Water from a service break can run toward the house and enter the foundation, which means the wet area inside the house has one cause and the wet patch in the yard has another. Record both, and say so in the call.
Who do I call first, the utility or a crew?
If the leak is on the utility side and the house is not wet, call the utility. If water has reached the house, call a restoration crew to extract and dry the house, and tell the utility separately about its side. The crew can tell you which side of the meter the leak appears to be on.
Calling both in the right order saves time. The crew can stop water inside the house and record the readings, while the utility deals with its own side. A crew that is dispatched to dry a house while the utility's line is still leaking is working against a source that keeps adding water.
Give each party the same facts: the meter reading, the time you first noticed the water, the place the water is showing and whether it is still running. The facts are the same whichever call you make first.
A restoration crew can read the house side and the path of the water inside, which often gives the best evidence for the utility to act on. Give the crew's written record to the utility when you call, along with the meter readings, so that the two parties are working from the same account.
When two parties are called, it helps to say clearly which one is responsible for the call. The restoration line is responsible for the water inside the house, and the utility is responsible for its side of the meter. Saying so at the start keeps each call focused and stops the same question being asked twice.
Who pays for the repair on each side?
The utility repairs its side of the meter, and any bill adjustment is handled on the utility's own account line. The owner repairs the house side through a plumber, and that cost is the owner's. Whether an insurance policy pays for any part is decided by the policy and the insurer.
Questions about a higher water bill for water that leaked go to the utility, not to a restoration company. A restoration company does not bill for water and cannot change an account.
Ask the plumber for a written scope and for the credentials the job requires before the work begins. Keep the utility's answer about its side and the plumber's scope together, so that the repair and any claim are based on the same record.
Ask the utility for its own record of the repair, including the date and the location it gives for the break. That record is separate from the restoration log and can be useful to the plumber and the insurer alike.
What if the utility says the leak is on my side?
Ask for the location and the reason in writing, then call a plumber for the house-side repair. Keep the utility's answer with the plumber's scope, and ask the crew to note the location in its record.
A utility that says the break is on the house side is giving you its view of the boundary for your property. If you disagree, ask the utility to show you the boundary on its records, and ask it to confirm the arrangement in writing.
Do not dig or open the house side of the line until the plumber has been given the utility's answer. A repair made without knowing the boundary can lead to a dispute about who paid for what.
If the house is on a supply that is not the utility's, the owner's responsibility runs from the point the supply enters the property. The first step in that case is to confirm the supply's arrangement in writing, because it decides who is called for the break before the house plumbing is reached.
How do I keep the boundary clear for next time?
Keep the meter and the ground around it clear, note the meter reading each month, and keep a copy of the utility's answer about the boundary. A short record makes the next leak faster to place.
Keep the area around the meter free of soil, plants and debris, so that a utility crew can read and reach it without digging through the house's own pipe. Note the reading on the same day each month, so that a change is easy to see.
Ask a plumber to check the valves at the meter and inside the house when other work is done, because a valve that does not close fully can be mistaken for a leak on the utility side.
A simple annual check of the meter reading, the valves and the plumbing near the entry point makes the boundary easy to see the next time. Those checks cost little and make a leak quicker to place when one happens.
Frequently asked questions
Can I close the valve at the street myself?
Do not operate a curb stop or any valve outside the house yourself. Close the house's own valve if you can reach it, and call the utility for the street side.
What if the meter does not turn but the house is still wet?
The water may have come in from the ground, from a drain or from a fixture inside the house. A stopped meter points to the house side, and the crew can trace the path from the wet area.
Will the crew dig up the service line?
No. The crew dries the house and records the path of the water. Any digging is done by the utility or a contractor after a locate has been carried out.
Does a leak on the utility side mean the utility pays for the water damage inside?
Responsibility for the water inside the house depends on the policy and the insurer. The utility's responsibility for its line is separate, and questions about it go to the utility.
How long should the meter test take?
An hour is usually enough to see whether the reading is changing. Repeat the test at another time of day if the first result is unclear, because a fill cycle or an appliance can explain a small change.
How do I know whether the utility or my plumber should be called first?
If water is in the house, the restoration crew should be called first, because the water has to be stopped and dried. If the leak is outside and the house is dry, call the utility first. In both cases, give the same facts to each caller, and ask each one which side of the meter it sees the leak on.
What if the leak stops when I close the house valve?
That suggests the water is coming from inside the house, on the house side of the valve you closed. Keep the valve closed, check the fixtures again and call a plumber. Note the time and the meter reading, because a leak that stops on closing the valve is still a leak to be repaired.
This guide is general information for Anchorage Municipality homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.