Water leaks aren’t something to glance over. These can be the source of more serious problems that can cost time and money to fix. Not to mention a skyrocketing water bill.
Knowing how to find water leaks is crucial to keeping your home in pristine condition. Minor leaks can be elusive depending on the layout of your water line system. They can cause their structural integrity to suffer, so you should take note of the water pressure when possible.
If you haven’t installed a leak detector in your household, let’s explore six ways to determine leaks in your plumbing.
6 Ways To Detect Hidden Water Leaks
1. Monitor Your Water Metre
The first thing you could do to see if you have any leaks is to turn every faucet in your house off. Jot down the reading on your water metre and wait for an hour or two. Check your water meter again. If the metre reading has changed within the hour, then it’s likely that you’re facing a leak in your plumbing.
You can turn the supply pipe off to see if the water leak is inside your house or the main water line. If the metre is still running, the hidden water leak is in the main water line.
2. Look For Leaks In Your Appliances
If you suspect a water leakage in your plumbing, check the appliances at home to see if they’re the source. Water heaters are prone to corrosion, so you may want to check them first.
3. Check The Toilet For Leaks
With a few drops of food colouring into your toilet tank, you can determine whether your flush tank is leaking or not. If it is, you’ll find stains of colour in the toilet bowl or around it within a few minutes. You may devise a DIY solution or call a professional to resolve the issue.
4. Look For Telltale Signs Of Leaks
You could keep an eye out for a few things when suspecting a leak in your plumbing. Your walls may become discoloured, and the paint or wallpaper may begin to come off. A dripping sound is the most obvious sign of a water leak, which can lead you to the leak’s location.
Lastly, the musty smell of mould will tip you off to a leak. If cabinets and basins show signs of mould, you might want to act immediately and have your plumbing checked for leaks. This will prevent further serious problems.
5. Test The Pressure
If your water pressure runs low, it could signal leakage. The easiest way of checking water pressure is to turn every tap in your home off and see if the water stream is weaker than usual.
6. Inspect Your Sprinkler Systems
There’s a chance that your sprinkler systems have seen a rupture and are causing leakages. These leaks pass unnoticed for a long time and waste thousands of litres of water within a few weeks. Inspect the sprinkler systems for holes or tears, and call professionals to fix the issue if necessary.
How To Fix Common Water Leaks
You can fix the most common plumbing leaks within minutes. Sometimes, duct tape is all you will need. If the problem is more complex than a simple rupture, avoiding the DIY route would be a good idea. And contacting a professional for pipe repairs is the best option.
1. Fixing Leaky Faucets And Shower Heads
If it’s a faucet or shower head causing water to drip, you can attempt fixing it yourself. After turning off the water supply, remove the faucet. You should check for debris and damage to the washer. If the damage is severe, the best option would be to replace the faucet.
2. Fixing A Leaking Plastic Pipe
For a minor leaking pipe, duct tape will suffice. You should call a plumber for help if the problem is more severe.
3. Fixing A Toilet Bottom Leak
Toilets have a rubber seal and tee bolts on the base to keep them steady. If either has developed a fault, you can replace the seal with a wax ring and tighten the bolts.
However, the process can be pretty unpleasant, so contacting a plumbing service may be the better option.
You Can Check Your Undetected Leaks
Leaks in your plumbing result in a waste of money and water. So, the sooner these are caught, the sooner you can act and minimise your losses.
If caught soon, you will only have to perform minor repairs. But, should the plumbing leaks remain undetected for a long time, the damage they can cause may lead to more serious concerns. It pays to be vigilant in the long run, so having your home checked for faults and leaks annually would be ideal.
We can provide leak detection services for undetected leaks in your house and business establishments using advanced leak detection equipment like CCTV inspection cameras to detect even the most undetected leakages. And if you have a damaged pipe, we can perform pipe relining, a no-dig methodology that will cost you only a fraction of what you usually pay for a traditional pipe repair. Or, if you have a blocked pipe, we’ve got high-pressure water jetters to blast the obstruction away. So contact us if you need a professional’s help to detect undetected leaks.
