Where do I find my water meter on a Gold Coast property?
Your meter is almost always inside a small plastic or concrete box at ground level near the front boundary, usually within a metre or two of the footpath on one side of the driveway. Lift the lid carefully, because spiders and the odd cane toad treat these boxes as home. On battleaxe blocks and some townhouse complexes the meter can sit along the shared driveway, and in strata buildings each lot may have its own sub-meter near the water heater or in a meter bank. If you genuinely cannot find it, your rates notice provider can confirm the location, or we can point it out during any site visit.
How do I do the meter test, step by step?
The test is simple and costs you nothing but an hour of not using water.
- Turn off every tap inside and out, plus the washing machine, dishwasher and any irrigation.
- Leave the water on at the meter. You are testing the pipes under pressure, not isolating them.
- Write down every digit, including the red numbers or small dials that record litres.
- Wait at least 30 to 60 minutes. Overnight is better if you can manage it.
- Read the meter again before anyone uses water.
If the numbers have moved at all, water went somewhere while everything was off. That is the whole test. One caveat we always give: a toilet cistern with a slow-leaking outlet valve is the most common innocent culprit, so isolate the toilets at their small wall stop taps and repeat the test if you get movement.
What do the numbers on the meter actually mean?
Gold Coast domestic meters read in kilolitres and litres. The black or white digits on the left are kilolitres, which is what your bill is based on. The red digits, and on older meters the small rotating dials, are litres and fractions of a litre. For leak testing you care about the red side, because a slow leak may only move a few litres an hour. Many meters also have a small spinning disc or triangle in the face. If that indicator is turning while everything in the house is off, water is flowing right now, and you do not even need to wait for the full test.
How much meter movement is a problem?
| Meter movement with everything off | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No movement over 60 minutes | No detectable leak under pressure | Nothing. Re-test in 6 to 12 months |
| A few litres per hour | Dripping tap, running toilet or weeping valve | Isolate fixtures one at a time to narrow it down |
| 10 to 50 litres per hour | Concealed pipe leak, often underground or in a wall | Book leak detection promptly |
| Constant fast spin of the flow indicator | Significant burst, often under slab or in the yard | Turn water off at the meter and call a plumber the same day |
Even a small leak adds up. A leak losing 20 litres an hour is roughly 175 kilolitres a year, which most households would notice on the bill well before they see water.
Two common false positives are worth ruling out before you worry. Irrigation controllers can run silent night cycles you have forgotten about, so switch the controller off entirely during the test. And pool auto top-up valves draw water invisibly whenever the level drops, so close the top-up line too. If the meter stops dead once those two are isolated, your leak was a setting, not a pipe, and that is the cheapest possible outcome.
The meter keeps moving. What now?
The meter test tells you that a leak exists, not where it is. Finding it is our job. As of 2026 we price leak detection on the Gold Coast at $200 to $500 or more depending on the size of the property and how deeply the leak is hidden, using acoustic listening gear and pressure testing to isolate the line before anything gets dug up. Keep your meter readings and dates written down. If the leak turns out to be concealed, the City of Gold Coast operates a concealed water leak remission process that can adjust part of the excess water charge, and it requires a licensed plumber's repair invoice with tight claim timeframes, so check the current policy and move quickly.
Found meter creep you cannot explain? Call Hills Plumbing & Gas on 0472 657 042 or book through /services/leak-detection/. QBCC licence 15243081, fixed prices quoted before we start.
Sources: City of Gold Coast water billing and concealed water leak remission guidance; Queensland Plumbing and Drainage Act 2018 (licensed work requirements).