Reading Your Water Meter

TYPES OF METERS, READING METERS & LEAK DETECTION

How to locate and read your meter and check for leaks around your home.

MANUAL AND RADIO READ METERS

WHERE IS MY METER LOCATED?

Most of the City of Cocoa water utility meter boxes are typically located in the front of your yard, closest to the road and are read on a monthly basis by Customer Service Utility Meter Readers.

HOW IS IT READ?

For manual meters, the Meter Reader removes the lid, raises the meter cap and clears away any debris that may have settled on the face of the meter. The first four numbers on the dial indicate your usage in thousands of gallons and are used for your monthly billing. This number is keyed into a device. The Meter Reader does not have access at this time to your previous month’s read and reads are not estimated, unless in the rare case the meter is covered and/or unable to be viewed. If for any reason your meter is unable to be read, our Customer Service Division will initiate a work order to have it repaired. It is very common for dirt and debris to quickly fill in over the meter even after it has been read by the Meter Reader. For radio read meters, the Meter Reader passes by the meter and the device detects the monthly read. For these meters, the Reader does not need to physically open a box to find the monthly read.

WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER AND SAVE ON YOUR WATER BILL:

• INSTALL REDUCED-FLOW SHOWER HEADS 
• USE ENERGY STAR APPLIANCES
• KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FAUCET DRIPS
• LET RAIN WATER YOUR LAWN

BILLING

HOW IS YOUR CONSUMPTION BILLED ON A MONTHLY BASIS?

Statements are issued on an approximate monthly interval and no more than twelve (12) bills in a calendar year for one customer at one location. The length of a billing cycle shall often vary month to month depending on circumstances that influence the ability to read the meter on the same day each month. The service period dates are determined by the date your meter was read the previous month to the date your meter is read the current month. The monthly water base fee is assessed by meter size and is also known as a readiness to serve charge designed to collect revenues to cover some operating and maintenance expenses. This fee is billed to all active accounts and does not include the consumption charges. The water consumption charges are based upon metered water consumption. Your previous meter reading is subtracted from your current meter reading to determine your actual water consumption within the billing cycle. These charges are billed to the consumer by rounding down to the thousands place within the meter reading and are billed on a per thousand gallon basis. Wastewater charges are billed equal to metered water use and may include a cap. The current rates, fees, and charges schedule is located on our website.

CHECKING FOR LEAKS

HOW CAN I CHECK FOR LEAKS IN MY HOME?

To check for leaks, first open your meter box and find the leak flag indicator on the meter. For the manual read meter (as shown to the right) it is the red triangle. For digital meters it is the flow rate. Turn off all of the water inside and outside of your home. Go out to the meter box and check to see if the leak indicator is moving (on the manual read meter) or flashing (on the digital read meter). With all of the water turned off, nothing should be moving on your meter. If the indicator is moving or flashing and all water is turned off in the home, this can indicate a leak. Turn off the house valve and check the leak indicator again. If it stops moving, this will indicate a leak inside your home. If the flag continues, this will indicate a leak from the from the meter to the home.

OTHER INDICATORS OF A LEAK INCLUDE:

• RUNNING TOILETS
• TALLER/GREENER PATCHES OF GRASS
• DRIPS FROM A FAUCET
• WET SPOTS ON THE GROUND

CONNECT WITH US  (321) 433-8400 www.CocoaFL.org