Reading water meter for EBMUD

[Dan_Musicant]

I have a broken water main and until I get it repaired I'm evidently going to have to turn off the water at the meter during periods when I'm not in need of supply. Getting it repaired looks to be impossible until after the holiday weekend. The leaked looked pretty tame a couple of days ago but I think it's worsened considerably. A temporary clamp was put on the pipe, but it's effect is diminishing rapidly, have no idea why.

Anyway, I just went out to my meter and timed the advance. I have one of the Straight-Reading meters shown here:

In a minute, the clock-like hand advances 8 of the smallest shown increments, or 0.8 of whatever that meter represents. It obviously doesn't represent a cubic foot, because the number below (8171 in the illustration) did not advance.

I just called EBMUD emergency (I'm in Berkeley, CA) and the guy said he's only qualified to dispatch a repair person and doesn't know anything about reading the meters. The information at the above URL doesn't indicate how the dial that I'm reading corresponds to cubic feet. Does anyone know? Thanks.

Dan

[MikeB]

One complete rev of the needle should be 1 cubic foot & the little marks are .01 cubic foot.

The 8171 may not move to 8172 until the needle is nearly at or passing zero.

MikeB

[Dan_Musicant]

:One complete rev of the needle should be 1 cubic foot & the little marks :are .01 cubic foot. : :The 8171 may not move to 8172 until the needle is nearly at or passing zero. : :MikeB

Thanks. That means the leak when I measured it was .08 cubic foot/minute. That's .6 gallons/minute. I'd estimated the leak at around

1 cup/minute a couple of days ago. That suggests it's increased 10 fold. I plan to ask my next door neighbor if I can use an old trick that a plumber told me about today over the phone: hook up a garden hose to their hose bibb and to my own, while shutting off my own supply. I have one good hose, but my other has problems, so I'm buying another tonight. If my neighbors allow me to connect, I'll have constant supply until the water main is replaced next week.

Dan

[Ivan Vegvary]

Dan, you are going to have "male-to-female" connection problems with the garden hose going from hose bib to hose bib. The answer is to take one of the supply hoses off your washing machine since both ends are "female-female". Use that hose at one of the two hose bibs.

Ivan Vegvary

[Dan_Musicant]

:Dan, you are going to have "male-to-female" connection problems with the :garden hose going from hose bib to hose bib. The answer is to take one of :the supply hoses off your washing machine since both ends are :"female-female". Use that hose at one of the two hose bibs. : :Ivan Vegvary Yes, you are correct. I actually anticipated that since the plumber told me I'd need a female-femail coupler. He said I could buy it at the hardware store. The funny thing is I scavenged the female end off a discarded hose from the very next door neighbor I intend to ask the favor for the use of some water. I did this around 2 months ago on trash day. I simply cut off the last 4 inches of a discarded hose. Looking around today, I saw I had a female hose end, so I attached it with a hose clamp and had my female-female coupler. Hopefully, it will be leakproof. I'm optimistic on that.

When I went to Home Depot tonight to get another good 50' hose (I think I will need two to make for 100'), I went carefully over all their hose couplers and didn't see a female-female!

Dan

PS Thanks for that tip. If my coupler doesn't work, I do have an extra set of two washing machine hoses! I wouldn't have thought of that.

[Dan_Musicant]

:PS Thanks for that tip. If my coupler doesn't work, I do have an extra :set of two washing machine hoses! I wouldn't have thought of that.

I just talked to the plumber and he says that a washing machine hose should withstand the pressure.

[Stormin Mormon]

You'll need a double female adaptor in there. Think "washing machine hook up hose".

[Stormin Mormon]

Well, they are designed to be hooked up and pressurized 24/7.

[Dan_Musicant]

:You'll need a double female adaptor in there. Think "washing :machine hook up hose".

Righto, I've got it hooked up already to my bibb. I'm awaiting approval from the neighbors, who share the house (renters). Consensus is necesarry. Having lived like that alot, I understand. If by chance they say no, the guy behind me will probably be amenable. He owns the place and is just that kind of guy. It's a longer run, though. However, I think the two 50' hoses + 4' washing machine hose will make it.