It is normal to find the meter packed with dirt. Once you have cleared the dial of the debris, obtain a reading. The meter dial is similar to the odometer of a vehicle. You must obtain two separate readings to determine how much water has been used during a particular period of time. For example, if you wish to determine how much water is used during a weekend, record the reading on a Friday evening and record another reading on Sunday evening.
Water meters register in cubic feet.
Subtract the first reading from the last reading and multiply by 748 to determine the total number of gallons used for the weekend. Once you have determined the total amount of water used during the weekend, you can calculate the average daily usage per person for your household. In our example above, a total of 785.4 gallons of water was used during the weekend. Divide that number by the number of days between meter readings to get your average daily household usage. To calculate individual daily usage, divide your daily household usage by the number of people living in your home.