Quick answer
If the meter moves with every tap and appliance off, water is escaping continuously between the meter and your fixtures. The three usual sources are an underground supply leak, a toilet inlet valve trickling into the bowl, and a geyser overflow discharging constantly. Isolating each in turn and re-reading the meter narrows it down without any equipment at all.
Common causes
- Underground supply leak between the meter and the house
- Toilet inlet valve leaking silently into the bowl
- Geyser overflow running continuously from a failed pressure-control valve
- Irrigation solenoid weeping past its diaphragm
- Pool auto-fill valve stuck open
- Perished appliance inlet hose weeping behind a machine
What you can do now
- 1Isolate each toilet at its inlet valve and re-read the meter after thirty minutes
- 2Check whether the geyser overflow pipe outside is discharging
- 3Isolate the irrigation and pool auto-fill and re-test
- 4Close the house isolation valve while leaving the meter live — if the meter still moves, the leak is in the underground supply line
- 5Record every reading with the time, which gives the plumber a head start
When to call a professional
Book leak detection within the week, taking your isolation test results with you. If the meter still runs with the house isolated, the leak is on the underground supply and detection equipment is the only sensible way to find it. Keep the readings and the eventual repair invoice — most municipalities allow a leak adjustment on the bill once a documented repair is completed.
Typical cost in Johannesburg
R950–R1,800 detection
Indicative ranges only. We provide written, itemised quotes before any work.
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