Water meter location in Exeter
Professional water meter location services in Exeter and surrounding areas. Local, reliable handyman - no job too small.
Price Guide
£60
Typical Duration
10-15 mins
Location
Exeter, Devon
Water meter located and marked clearly - so when you need to turn the water off in an emergency or read the meter, you actually know where the damn thing is.
That Thing You Need In An Emergency But Can Never Find
Pipe's burst. Water everywhere. You need to turn the water off right now.
Where's the stopcock? Or the water meter? Or... hang on, do you even have a meter?
Nobody knows where their water meter is until they desperately need it. Then it's panic stations.
Let me find it, mark it clearly, and show you. Takes 10 minutes. Worth knowing for when something goes wrong.
Why You Should Know Where Your Meter Is
| Know Where It Is | Don't Know Where It Is |
|---|---|
| Emergency shut-off in 30 seconds | Running around frantically |
| Can read meter yourself | Can't check for leaks |
| Know if you even have one | Genuinely no idea |
| Marked clearly for future | Forgotten location again in 6 months |
Where Meters Hide
🔧 Common Locations
- Outside boundary box - small plastic cover in pavement/grass verge
- Under kitchen sink - behind the pipes
- Garage - on wall near entry point
- Understairs cupboard - low down, easy to miss
- Cellar - if you've got one
- Utility room - wherever the mains comes in
💡 Less Common
- Under floorboards near front door
- In an external meter box on house wall
- Shared meter box for flats/terraces
- No meter at all (older properties)
What I'll Do
🔧 The Search
- Check all common locations
- Trace water pipes if visible
- Check outside boundary
- Look for access covers
- Use meter detector if needed (for buried ones)
💡 Once Found
- Mark the location clearly
- Show you how to access it
- Explain how to read it
- Show you the stopcock too (if separate)
- Take photo for your records
Pricing
| Job | Time | You'll Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Find and mark meter location | 10-15 mins | £60 |
£60 minimum. Most searches take under 15 minutes.
💡 Pro tip: Once I've found it, take a photo on your phone. File it somewhere obvious like "Water Meter Location" so you can find it in 6 months when you've forgotten again.
Why Choose Us for Water meter location in Exeter?
Meter located and marked clearly
You'll know exactly where it is
Saves time in emergencies
10-minute search
What to Expect
Step 1: Check The Obvious
Kitchen sink cupboard, utility room, garage - the easy spots first.
Step 2: Systematic Search
If it's not obvious, I'll work methodically through likely locations, checking any access points or covered areas.
Step 3: Mark It
Once found, mark it clearly. Outside ones get a bright marker near the cover, inside ones might get a label or I'll show you permanent features to help you remember.
🔧 DIY Tips
Finding your own water meter isn't hard if you're systematic:
🔧 Tools you might need
- Torch
- Garden spade (if checking for buried boxes)
- Patience
📐 Search process
- Start inside - kitchen sink cupboard most common
- Check utility areas - where pipes enter the house
- Look low - meters are usually near floor level
- Follow the main pipe if you can see where it enters
- Check outside boundary - pavement/grass verge for small plastic cover
- Try obvious spots - garage, understairs cupboard
- Call water company if you're stuck - they have (rough) records
Identifying meter vs stopcock:
- Meter has a digital or dial display showing usage
- Stopcock is just a valve/tap to turn water on/off
- Often both are together, sometimes separate
⚠️ Common hiding places
- Behind stuff in cupboards
- Under removable floor panels
- In external meter boxes (painted same colour as wall)
- Shared boxes serving multiple properties
- Garden pits hidden by overgrown grass
💡 Pro trick: Your property deeds sometimes show meter location. Or ask previous owners if you can contact them - they might remember where it is.
Rather leave it to a pro? No problem - that's what I'm here for. Give me a call.
Good to Know
🎨 Can't find the stopcock either? While I'm searching, I'll locate both the meter and the stopcock. You need to know where both are - meter for reading/billing, stopcock for emergencies.
No meter at all? Older properties (pre-1990s especially) often don't have meters - you're on "rateable value" billing instead. You'll still have a stopcock though - that's essential.
Shared meters - some terraced houses or conversions share a meter. Each property should also have its own stopcock though.
External boxes - if your meter's outside in a covered pit, it might be full of mud or the cover might be stuck. I'll clean it out and make sure it's accessible.
Reading your meter - once found, reading it is easy. Note the numbers regularly (monthly) to track usage. Sudden jumps indicate leaks somewhere.
Exeter's older properties - Victorian and Edwardian houses often have meters in weird spots because they were retrofitted. Sometimes in coal holes, sometimes buried under later extensions. I've found them in some creative places.
Emergency shut-off - knowing where your stopcock is matters more than the meter. In a burst pipe situation, you need to shut the water off FAST. Meter location is handy to know, stopcock location is essential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are water meters usually located?
Could be anywhere honestly. Common spots: outside by your property boundary (in a small pit with plastic cover), under the kitchen sink, in an understairs cupboard, in the garage. Older properties might not have a meter at all - just a stopcock. Newer builds (post-1990s) almost always have meters.
What's the difference between a water meter and a stopcock?
Stopcock = valve that turns your water supply off. Water meter = device that measures how much water you use (for billing). Some properties have both in the same spot, some have them separate. You need to know where both are.
Why can't I just ask the water company where it is?
You can try - they have records. But those records are often vague ('front garden boundary' doesn't narrow it down much) or out of date. Sometimes finding it physically is quicker than calling them.
What if we can't find it?
Very rare to not find it. If you've genuinely got a meter, it's somewhere. Worst case it's buried under a drive that's been tarmacked over, or hidden behind later additions to the house. I'll be honest if I think it's unfindable without digging up stuff.
Once you find it, will you show me how to read it?
Yeah, if you want. Water meters are straightforward - black numbers are cubic metres, red numbers are litres. Reading it regularly lets you spot leaks early (sudden jump in usage = problem somewhere).
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