Your water meter is usually outside your house, tucked inside a concrete box in the front yard. It might be near the sidewalk, or poking out of the ground like a curious metal mushroom. Pop the lid open (gently—nobody wants a startled spider situation), and you’ll see a face that looks like a car’s odometer mixed with a clock.
Don’t panic. You’re not reading a spaceship manual. You’re just looking at numbers.
What exactly are you looking at?
The meter has a row of numbers, kind of like the mileage on your car. Some are black on a white background, and one or two are red or on a red background. The black numbers count whole units of water (usually in gallons or cubic feet). The red numbers count fractions—tenths, hundredths, and thousandths. Think of it this way: black numbers are the big steps you take, and red numbers are the tiny shuffles.
For your bill, you mostly care about the black numbers. Ignore the red ones, unless you’re feeling fancy or have a leak to chase down.
