Helpful Hints & Safety

First, make sure you are not using any water and all home appliances that use water are not running (i.e.: washing machine, ice maker, etc.). 

Locate your water meter near the street in your yard, and located in a black box with a lid. 

Watch the meter dials for 5 to 10 minutes.  Should any of the dials including the red triangle spin or move, then this may indicate that you have a leak.  No spinning or movement, no leak. 

Contact Customer Service at (803) 359-8373 if you would like for us to come out and check for a leak.

Remove the lid on the back of the tank.  Add 2-3 drops of food coloring into the back of the tank reservoir.  Do Not Flush. 

Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.  If any color appears in the bowl you have a leak.

Don’t want to use food coloring?  Contact Customer Service at (803) 359-8373 and we can send you leak detection tablets.

Slow drips can turn into hundreds or even thousands of gallons of water wasted.  Depending on how slow or fast your leak is, this can make a big difference in your water bill.  When checking for leaks at your faucets, don’t forget the faucets outside your home. 

When temperatures are predicted to be well below freezing:

• Tightly close doors and windows to the outside.
• Insulate pipes in unheated or drafty areas. Hardware and plumbing supply stores carry insulation to keep pipes from freezing.
• Shut off and drain the pipes leading to your outside faucets so no water is left to freeze, expand and cause a leak in these lines.
• Close the inside valves and drain the pipes leading to your outside hose bib (faucet).
• Know where your main shut-off valve is. Minimize the risk of water damage by ensuring everyone in the household knows how to shut off the water in an emergency.
• Open the cabinets beneath any place with a water supply, such as the kitchen and bathroom sinks. This will allow warm air to circulate. (Remove any toxic substances first if there are small children or pets in the home.)
• To prevent your pipes from freezing, let a faucet drip slowly with cold water. The faucet you choose should be the one that is the greatest distance from your water shut-off valve, which is usually near your water heater. It does NOT need to be a running trickle.

If someone in your home or business turns on a faucet and only has a trickle of water is coming out or no water at all and you suspect a frozen pipe or meter, take these steps:

• Identify whether the problem is throughout the house or in one area. If it’s only in one area of your household, you may be able to thaw the pipe by opening the cabinets to allow warmer air to circulate around the pipes.
• NEVER thaw a pipe with an open flame. You can use a hair dryer on low or a portable heater. Avoid using electrical appliances if there is standing water.
• Use warm water to soak towels, then wrap the towels around the frozen pipes.
• If the problem persists, contact a licensed plumber for additional guidance.

To report a suspected water main break or leak in your neighborhood, please contact JMWSC's Emergency Line at 803-359-8373.