Water Leaks

Water leaks cost money! Leaking faucets and toilets waste thousands of gallons of water a day in Franklin. Leaking toilets can cause high utility bills. The most common cause of leaks is the toilet. The most inexpensive means of checking for toilet leakage is to place red food coloring in the back tank of the toilet and DO NOT flush for 2-3 hours, or overnight if possible. This should give plenty of time to see if red water shows up in the bowl of the toilet. If red water does show up in the bowl, you have a toilet leak. This type of leak will add up to much more water usage than you would expect.

Faucet drips and pipe leaks also cause high bills. Water meters are designed and regulations demand that meters be at least 99.3% accurate when they are sold to the City. Once they are installed for the customer, chemical deposits in the water will slowly build up on the interior surfaces of the meter, very slowly causing the meter to slow down. The older the meter, the lower it will register.

The small triangle shaped indicator to the left of the sweep hand on your meter is a leak indicator. This indicator is very sensitive, and may move back and forth slightly because of movement of the water in the line. However, if this indicator moves slowly in a clockwise direction with the water turned off, you have a leak. The faster this indicator turns, the worse the leak.

The City's water bill adjustment policy is: Homeowners are allowed one adjustment per year providing the homeowner can show proof of a leak having been repaired. If the reading is correct, and no leak is present, no adjustment can be made. If the reading is not correct, an adjustment will be made immediately.