How to Read Your Water Meter
Finding your meter
Your water meter is generally located near the curb in front of your home. Meters are typically
inside a concrete box. Carefully remove the lid by using a tool such as a large screwdriver. If
your meter is buried or not visible when you remove the lid you may need to uncover it. There
will be a wire attaching the meter to the box lid, follow the wire down and it will attach to the
top of the meter.
Reading your meter
Water meters in Hillsborough measure volume in cubic feet. One cubic feet (cuft) = 7.48 gallons
(gal) and 100 cuft = 748 gal or one unit of water.Your water charges are based on 100 cubic feet
(cu. ft.) units. The meter registers resemble the odometer in your car. There are 3 different
types of meter registers and each reads slightly different.
For Sensus ICE Register and Electronic Register Meters
1. Remove the meter lid. Do not detach or cut the wire to the touch pad.
2. Locate the meter register as seen in the pictures below.
3. To read both the ICE and Electronic Register 5/8’’ – 1’’ meters, read the first 4 digits
from the left, these are the number of units that are billed to the customer.
• As an added aide, the electronic register below has bars above the digits for the
number of units that are billed to a customer.
4. To check for water leaks, please review the document prepared by the Town titled
“How to Check for Water Leaks”
ICE Register 5/8’’- 1’’
Electronic Register 5/8’’ – 1’’
Omni Electronic Register
1. These meters are read in cubic feet like the meters above.
2. This meter has 3 modes- AMR, Total and Test. The directions for use are on the inside of
the lid. Be sure to keep lid closed when not reading the meter to keep the lens clean.
• AMR- Shows units consumed, read the first five digits from the left (units
consumed). This mode is used by the meter reader; the number will increase as
water is used.
• Total- shows the total registered water through the meter.
• Test- Shows total registered water through the meter but can be reset to test
flow.
3. To read the meter, open the lid to the register.
4. In AMR mode, read the first 5 digits from the left. This reading will be in units, the
register below has a reading of 34 units. This will change as water is used.
• You may want to write down the date and meter reading for future information
or to compare/calculate usage from one day to another.
5. Leak To check for water leaks, please review the document prepared by the Town titled
“How to Check for Water Leaks”.
Omni Electronic Register 1.5’’ - 2’’ meter