Water Meter Leak Indicator Going Back And Forth

Each time it moved forward backwards forward it ended up a little past where it was.

Water meter leak indicator going back and forth.

There are several external signs that you can look for around your water meter to determine if you have a leak. The flow needle was turning slowly forward then backwards stopping then forward then backwards and stopping it just kept doing that. When the pressure drops then the excess pressure in your system flows backwards again to equalize the pressures which makes the dial tick backwards. So we are now back to the meter face now check if the meter s leak detector hand is moving.

I recently noticed that the red triangle on the face of my water meter was moving back and forth by about 3 4 of a revolution. I looked at the meter next to it just for comparison it was stopped and steady. This would definitely make the meter spin backwards and warrants a call to your local plumber. Thursday june 21 2018 most water meters have a leak detection spinner in the shape of a triangle star or arrow that can show low level water flow.

That said i ve never seen it happen quite that much. On my inspections i always look at the water meter to see if the flow needle is stopped when all the water is off in the home. All is well with your system. If the meter is installed backwards the meter will do that.

If the leak indicator or dial hand is still rotating then water is flowing somewhere between the meter and the shut off valve. Is the only cause of this a leak somewhere. I think it is water pressure fluctuations in the system. If you walk out to your water meter and notice the area around it is wet and soggy or you see standing water and puddles then you have a leak with the water from the main line coming into your home.

As pressure changes in the water main the pressure will equalize in your house causing the meter to fluctuate a bit back and forth. So if there is a pressure build up from the street it would force water into the house and then the wheel would go backwards as the pressure equalizes. I m not saying it is backwards just that it will act like that if there are pressure changes. You ll often see this when someone on your block turns on their sprinkler system or a fire hydrant is opened.

It could be on the city side and if that is the case then you won t be charged. If it is moving forward clockwise there is water flow. When the pressure rises more water is forced into the home. Do you have a pressure reducing valve prv.

When the pressure increases some water goes into your system to equalize the pressure which makes the dial tick forward. Backflow is when water flows incorrectly in the wrong direction. I didn t have any fixtures etc turned on while this was happening. Then when the pressure decreases water flows out.

Today i saw something new. I have seen the flow indicator on older mechanical meters show a back and forth surging so i would say it s normal.