Show All Answers

1. Can I turn my water meter on or off?

No, a City employee will do this for you at no cost. The water meter is the property of the City and damages to the meter could be charged to you. Call the Public Works Department at 972.919.2597, Monday – Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In case of an emergency after hours and holidays, call the Police Department at 972.484.3620 and on-call personnel will be notified and dispatched.

2. How do I check for a water leak?

Turn off all water in and outside of your house. DO NOT TURN OFF THE MASTER VALVE. If water is in the meter box, it does not always mean that you have a leak in your water line. It usually comes from ground moisture due to rain or sprinkler systems. To be sure, you should dip the water out of the box. You may have to do this several times due to ground saturation. If you notice water leaking from the meter or the meter connections (the nuts and bolts that connect the meter to the cut-off valve or your water line), call the Public Work Department for repair at 972.919.2597. If you notice a leak on the line that goes to your house, call a plumber. If you are not sure, call us.

If no leak is detected in the meter box, your next step is to look at the water meter register. You may have to wipe the register face off with a wet towel to see the entire meter face. Dirt usually settles on the meter from month to month due to rain, irrigation and other moisture getting into the meter box.

• Record the reading on your meter
• Do not use any water in your home for at least one hour
• Recheck the meter every 20 minutes for one hour. The reading should be identical to the reading taken earlier. If it is higher, you probably have a leak. It is your responsibility to have it repaired.

Dripping faucets are easily recognized. You will have a faucet that does not completely turn off, and you may hear an annoying "drip, drip, drip" or see water collecting in the bottom of your sink or bathtub.

Continuously running toilets can be a silent culprit. Check the overflow pipes in the toilet tanks to be sure water isn’t draining. Place a few drops of food coloring in the tank, don’t flush and check the bowl in about 15 minutes. If any of the coloring appears in the bowl you probably have a tank-to-toilet-bowl leak, which will require repair.

Leaking toilets are more difficult to detect. Water loss may be caused by leaking parts or an incorrect setting. You may not always hear the problem. If the flapper valve in the toilet tank is not seating well, water will flow from the tank to the bowl and eventually down the drain as the bowl fills to a certain level. This problem can be detected by putting some blue food coloring into the tank. Wait a while and see if the water in the bowl has also begun to turn blue. If so, the flapper valve is the problem. Check more than once. The flapper valve may seat properly some of the time, but not all of the time. This can make this type of water loss difficult to detect. Another way that water loss can occur in a toilet is through the overflow in the tank. The overflow is the open pipe, usually located in the middle of the tank. If the float allows water to rise too high, water will go into the overflow pipe and down the drain. The best way to detect this is to take the top off the tank and see if water is at the top of the overflow pipe. If it is, the float may need to be adjusted.

Landscape irrigation problems can also result in water loss. These problems normally occur when sprinklers are on. There may be a break in the line or a malfunction in one of the sprinkler heads. Check to see if some parts of your lawn remain wet even when the sprinklers have not been on.

Remember: These are just suggested places to look for water loss first, and is not intended to be all-inclusive.

3. Who do I call if my sewer is clogged?

In case of a sewer clog or backup, notify the Public Works Department at 972.919.2597, Monday – Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Personnel will check the City main to determine if the problem is the City’s responsibility or the homeowner’s. In case of an emergency after hours and holidays, call the Police Department at 972.484.3620 and on-call personnel will be dispatched.

4. What do I do if I have water in my meter box?

If water is in the meter box, it does not always mean that you have a leak in your water line. It usually comes from ground moisture due to rain or sprinkler systems. To be sure, you should dip the water out of the box. You may have to do this several times due to ground saturation. If you notice water leaking from the meter or the meter connections (the nuts and bolts that connect the meter to the cut-off valve or your water line), notify the Public Works Department at 972.919.2597, Monday – Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

5. What are the City’s responsibilities for sewer line problems?

The City is responsible for sewer main lines and service lateral line repairs up to the customer’s property line.

6. What are the City’s responsibilities for water line repairs?

The City is responsible for the main line and water meter up to the point of the customer’s service line connection to the water meter.

7. Is my water meter read each month?

Yes. The meter readers utilize a handheld computer to record all meter readings each month.

8. What does a meter reading look like?

The City uses several brands of water meters. All have a meter register that looks very much like the odometer in your car. The meter readings are read in tens, hundreds or thousands of gallons. The billing system is programmed to take these meter readings and calculate the correct water usage in thousands of gallons.

9. How are the meters read?

The meter readers use hand-held computers to capture meter readings. When the meter reader enters the reading, the computer quickly calculates the amount of water used and compares it with usage for the previous month. If the current water usage exceeds the previous water usage by more than expected, the computer alerts the meter reader who must then re-read the meter and re-enter the meter reading. This is the first audit of the meter reading.

The City is divided into three geographic cycles for meter reading purposes. Your water meter is read about the same time each month, give or take a few days depending on weekends and holidays. If something is blocking access to the water meter box, repeat visits are made to obtain a meter reading or the customer is contacted prior to billing. Meters are typically read between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Occasionally, the meter readers may need to work on a Saturday.

If you have questions regarding your water bill, contact Customer Service at 972.919.2525.

10. Is there fluoride in my water?

Yes.

11. Are there any watering restrictions in Farmers Branch?

At this time, we are under Phase I of the drought contingency plan, which is voluntary conservation. Please contact the Public Works Department at 972.919.2597 if you need further information.