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On average, leaks account for more than six per cent of the total water use at a facility. Regularly checking and repairing leaks will save your facility time and money.
Train staff to listen and look for leaks regularly and report back
Take regular tours of the facility and pay special attention to process plumbing, flowing pipes in floor drains, passing valves and pumps. Other places to watch include washrooms, showers, kitchens, water fountains and landscape irrigation systems.
How to use your water meter to detect leaks
Turn off all water uses at the facility and read your water meter. Wait overnight with all of the water uses turned off and read your meter again. If the meter shows usage, then there could be a leak at the facility.
Metering and sub metering
Routine monitoring and measuring is essential to understanding and managing water use.
Installing sub meters allows you to monitor specific activities at irrigation systems, cooling towers and other end uses to identify leaks quickly. Sub meters can also reveal equipment malfunctions.
It is important to select meters compatible with a facility’s size, function, fixture types, usage occupancy and peak population.
Electromagnetic meters can detect water regardless of temperature, pressure, viscosity and contamination and require a section of straight pipe and electrical conductivity.
Positive displacement meters are accurate for low-flow rates; they work best for smaller commercial and institutional applications.
Install failure abatement technologies on water-using equipment to detect leaks or malfunctions. It is also possible to integrate meters and sub meters with a centralized building management system to collect and store data, report water use at different time periods, or trigger alarms in the event of a leak.
Adjust your equipment
Reduce water use and the risk of leaks by matching the water pressure to each application and conduct pressure tests Measure the pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) at key delivery and usage points
Resources
Best management practices for commercial and institutional facilities
For more information
Water Services
519-837-5627
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