5 Ways To Find Water Leaks At Home

Are you getting a nagging, sinking feeling that a pipe has sprung a leak at your place? Just because you don’t hear hissing and you’re not ankle-deep in water, your instincts could be spot-on. But before we get to the issue of how to find a water leak, there are plenty of less subtle signs that a leak could be causing untold damage behind the scenes without you even knowing about it:

• Is your bill suddenly a lot higher than usual?
• Has your water pressure been getting lower?
• Have you spotted a damp spot?
• Can you smell something damp or funky?
• Is one patch of grass particularly green?
• Has a crack or two suddenly appeared?

If you can’t see or detect that leak yourself, the temptation will be there to shrug it off. But ignore it for too long, and the damage could be huge, the repair bills even bigger, water & wiring may eventually mix … and even your home foundations could be destroyed.

Have we convinced you that you really should find that water leak so that it can be promptly repaired? Let our Sydney north shore plumbers show you how.

1. Check the water meter

If your family’s water habits haven’t changed but that water bill is unusually higher than usual, head out to your water meter. Just before you go out there, though, turn off every tap in the house – and then look to see if the meter dials are turning anyway.

For a really small leak, you may not see the meter moving, so to be really sure, jot down the numbers and come back in an hour. If the numbers have changed but no taps have been on … you have a leak.

2. Check the taps

A rubber washer is all that stands between all of the taps inside and outside your home and an annoying, dripping leak. Luckily, you are allowed to change a tap washer by yourself, but it’s a super-easy task for any decent plumber. Chances are you’ll already notice needing leaking taps fixed in common area’s like your kitchen, but check throughout the house and garden taps that might not be seen often.

3. Check the toilet

Another common, leaky culprit is your toilet – and it can leak hundreds upon hundreds of litres of water that is ultimately completely wasted and you won’t even notice.

An easy way to check is to put a few drops of food colouring into your cistern, and then take a peek into the bowl after half an hour or so. If you see your colour, you’re witnessing a leak.

4. Look a little closer

Just like you don’t really notice your children growing in real-time doesn’t mean they don’t grow, right? It could be similar for all those tell-tale signs of a leak – you simply don’t notice them developing because you look at them each and every day. So have a good look around and see if you simply haven’t noticed discolouration, a crack, a stain, a funky smell that has crept up so slowly that you hardly noticed at all.

Similarly, take a look in those of those places you may not look at all – into cupboards, under sinks – and watch out for dampness, water damage, stains, smells, or mould & mildew.

5. Call an expert

Even if you’re struggling to find that leak, doesn’t mean a real professional won’t! In fact, local Sydney plumbers don’t just carry around plungers and wrenches, but all sorts of expensive, specialist equipment that can find even the tiniest leak behind walls, under foundations, beneath your garden – you name it.

What equipment? We’re talking about cameras, audio gear to detect the faintest hissing, pipe locator technology, and a range of expert skills & techniques learned over years in the business. And if you’re just around Sydney, then the guys at Affordable Plumbing Solutions are the name to call. They are water leak detection experts that can locate and repair those leaky issues. Have underground leaks but do not want to compromise digging? No worries, with their latest technology of no-dig pipe lining services they can get to the issue without a mess – literally!

So never forget: While the thought of a hidden leak might be tempting to ignore, you’re only welcoming into your valuable home massive structural damage, huge bills, all sorts of damp-loving pests, mould & mildew, extremely dangerous water-electrical hazards, and more. So don’t ignore it – get on top of it today by calling Affordable Plumbing today.