Water leaks can be extremely damaging to your home which can result in costly repairs. Not only that, but wasting water is a very unsocially acceptable thing to do these days. So, there is an onus on a property owner or tenant to discover a water leak as soon as possible. However, it is not always that easy. Finding where a pipe is leaking can depend on many factors. If the leak is behind a wall, then it can be difficult to locate.
Before you start making holes in the wall, you need to make sure that there is a leak, and this blog is designed to help you do that:
How to detect a water leak in your home
Check the water metre
If you believe you have a water leak somewhere in the system, then it is a good idea to check the water metre. Make sure that all the water is turned off at the faucets, and make sure the dishwasher and washing machine are turned off too. If the metre continues to change, then you may have a fast lask. If nothing happens immediately, come back to the metre a few hours later and see if it’s changed then – obviously, do not use the faucets or anything else in this time frame. If the metre changes, then you may have a slow-running leak. If this happens, you know that somewhere between the metre and the appliances, there is a look. Another thing you could do is take a metre reading and take another the following week; if you are using a lot more than average, then you probably have a leak.
Outdoor/underground leak symptoms
If you have a leak outside underground, then you may be experiencing the following issues:
- Unusual puddles when it hasn’t been raining. They may appear in the garden, yard, driveway, curb or even on the street.
- Soft wet earth.
- Greener grass in patches
- Cracking in the pavement
- A flooded water meter box
- Leaking pipes for the garden system.
Interior leak symptoms
An internal leak shows itself in one of these ways:
- Dripping from any water outlet, faucet, shower, a pipe.
- Wet pipes, use a piece of tissue and encircle the pipe and it to see if the tissue gets wet.
- Pooling water under any of your appliances
- Wet surfaces, countertops, floors and carpets.
- Toilets overflowing or rising.
- Watermarks, stains, paint bulging or bubbling, or any kind of warping on internal features like the floors.
- Brick mortar flaking.
- A musty smell.
- Any mould.
- Sagging drywall.
When it’s time to call a plumber
If you think you have a leak, it is time to call a plumber to fix your plumbing leaks. A plumber will use specialist equipment to confirm that there is a leak and then locate and fix the issue with minimal upheaval to your home. Water leaks are very common problems and can be detected in a number of ways. Leaks need to be fixed as a matter of urgency due to the structural problems they can cause if left. So, it is essential you call a plumber as soon as you realise that there is a water leak at your home.
