My water meter has been running up huge charges, and is twice - three times what it should be. Searched everywhere for leaks, but there are none. A guy told me that if we have air in the lines, this could cause our meter to false read. Now we do have air in the lines. You can hear it as it comes out our water bore. He said that a particle of air (bubble) is the same as a particle of water, and if there is 50/50 air and water then our water bill will be double. Is this theory feasible ? James

I would look at the meter and verify it is stopped. Toilets should be filled and not flushed.
Sink and shower you can usually see. A toilet can leak, and you may not see.
Turn off the little shutoff under toilets and see if water meter stops.
Do you have a sprinkler system?

I agree, first turn off every water item in the home, and go look at the meter, if it is moving, you have a leak somewhere, often the leak can be underground and not able to be seen.

James, do not listen to that friend for any more plumbing issues. After the meter and the shut off does your supply pipe go under the floor or any other conceled area in the home. Is the meter spins all the time right now, what happens to the meter when you close your main?

Thanks for the replies. But there are no leaks. I have tried all of the above. I rang a water meter firm this afternoon, and spoke to their Head Tester to see what can cause a water Meter to false read. Surprisingly, he said the same thing. Air in the pipes will cause the meter to false read. We do get a lot of air in the pipes. You can hear it. It is pressure fed from a bore. Has anyone else heard of this as a problem that causes excessive readings. Thanks James

I hadn't heard of it, hope it doesn't happen to Gas Pumps.

Well I would be wondering where the air came from. Is it just in hot or cold or both? How long have you had it? How can you tell if the air is coming in from the city main or is it being generated by a faulty dip tube in your hot water heater. In other words, how sure are you that the air is even passing through the meter?

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We do get a lot of air in the pipes. You can hear it. It is pressure fed from a bore.

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Please explain what a "bore" is. Regards, Tom

I still do not feel that you have been given an adequate explanation. Even if air could turn a meter, which I very much doubt, how would that account for your meter registering 3X the correct amount. What does you water company have to say about this and what are you being billed for, 3X the normal bill?

Thanks for the responses. Further background to why we are getting air in the lines. We are in the country. 9 houses share 1 bore that gathers water from an aquifier below. So it is a private arrangement, but we are all charged for the water via a meter at each house. If the acquifier level drops the bore and pump can suck air until the water level rises.
As I am at the highest point, I get the bulk of the air. So the meter gets a lot of air passing through it. The water going into the tank gurgles and bubbles. My question was
Does air register a reading as does water when it passes through the meter. Two people have told me yes. But I am confused ? Regards James K

I'd need to inspect your meter but generally air can not spin the vane inside that turns your meter readings. It takes the mass of a liquid to turn the impellor.

It looks like there are solutions like this one: ARI Air Valves > M-040 METAIR Combination Air Valve for Water Meter Protection

Since this particular product includes a check valve, it woul be wise to install an expansion tank.

You might want to install a similar product and a regulator.

Air remover, then regulator and then meter.

There might be other technologies for water measurement that is insensitive to air, but I think in the long run you need to get the air out.

Just get the install approved.

Thanks for all the comments. Most people say that air cannot cause a water meter to tick over. Well you are wrong. I have now made an interesting discovery. Yes, air going through your water meter DOES set it ticking over. This could have implications for a number of people who believe they are being charged for more water than they are consuming.

How did we prove it ? Simple... we disconnected the water meter at both ends, and took the meter into the workshop. We placed an air gun on one end, and waited to see if the meter would tick over. As soon as we switched the air gun on, sure enough it was spinning cazy. We tried another test, with less air. We reversed a vacumn cleaner hose, so it blew air through the meter, at a lot less velocity, and again the meter spun like crazy. A few more tests with even less air velocity all produced the same result.

Although I am based in South Africa, my water meter is a quailty Canadian made product
That meets all industry standards, so I assume my "test" would apply to all meters. Happy to hear from anyone else who may have shared my experience. James M. (Durban)

Thank you James. Yes, air entering a water meter will cause the metrer to tick over just the same as water. However, unless the water main has been opened and worked on it's a pretty good bet that the city main's cleared of air. Regards, Tom

I think you have one of two things, either a leak that has not been found, or a faulty meter. A leak including a toilet that runs when it is not needed. Put some red food coloring into the tank of the toilet. Allow the toilet to set idle for about an hour. If you have red tinted water in the bowl of the toilet, then you have a leaking flapper valve allowing water to go into the bowl of the toilet and causing the pump in the toilet tank to activate using more water.