The Bucket Test and the Health of Your Water System

Water bills that suddenly jump for seemingly no reason can be very stressful and alarming. The possibility of leaks, a faulty system, repair costs, and the logistics of replacing an entire water system are good reasons to pay attention to your submeter, as well as knowing how to do an at-home test occasionally or when you suspect an issue. 

Consistent checks of your submeter readings are important, as it helps us and you understand the health of your meter. It also helps us catch small problems before they become big ones. Small problems, such as a month of higher-than-normal water bills, can turn into big ones, like irreversible leaks that require major renovations if not caught in time.

One way we at Guardian will partner with you is to give you the knowledge and tools to run a basic test, called the Bucket Test, that will give our technicians an idea of what kind of problem we are going to solve, as well as give you a quick look at the health of your system without having to wait weeks for results. It is very simple and can be done with one person, though having someone with you while you perform this test can be helpful. 

While not a test to be used to fix the meter to an exact accuracy standard, the Bucket Test is a quick and relatively easy way to show whether your meter is operating within general tolerances. Before you start, you will want to gather a 5-gallon bucket, have access to a bathroom or a sink that can be used to fill that bucket, and a few free hours to run the test.

The Bucket Test For Submetering

The first step to see if the test is necessary is to get a photo of your meter and compare that to the reading on your radio frequency system. This may require you to contact the technicians at Guardian to find the latest reading. If your meter reading matches the system and your system is high usage, our next step is to check for leaks. If the radio frequency system does NOT match, the next steps will be to find out if there is incorrect programming or a wiring issue with the meter.

If the meter reading and the radio frequency system match, but you have a low usage system, and there is still suspicion of a problem, we recommend the Bucket Test. 

Please note that if your unit is equipped with separate meters for hot and cold water, you will need to perform this test on both meters individually.

To Perform The Bucket Test:

1. Turn off all water and make sure there is none in use in the unit.

2. Check the face of your meter. If all the water is off, there should not be any movement on any of the dials.

   1. If the meter indicates water movement, double-check that all water is off in the unit, including that there are no running toilets.

   2. If the center dial (the “leak detector”) is still moving after you ensure all water is off, that means water is still flowing somewhere in a potential leak.

3. Once the meter is not moving, read the odometer counter and write down the reading. Make sure you include the meter’s unit of measure (gallons or cubic feet) and note what the last digit counts (i.e., gallons, tenths of gallons, cubic feet, tenths of cubic feet, etc.). This should be available on the meter register face.

4. Using the 5-gallon bucket, fill it up to 5 times in a sink or a bathtub to run 25 gallons of water total (if testing a cubic foot meter, the formula is 15 gallons = 2 cubic feet).

5. Check the meter again.

   1. If the meter advances 25 gallons, it’s working properly!

   2. If the meter does not advance 25 gallons, the meter is not capturing all usage (likely due to age) and will need to be replaced.

The Bucket Test is an easy way to check the health of your meter and see if it is operating within general tolerances. Partnering with Guardian to keep a close eye on your submeter system will prevent disastrous leaks, expensive repairs, and give you peace of mind. 

Want to know more about the Bucket Test and what steps we would take after performing it? Contact us! We can answer any questions you have.