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?
• Can you see a damp spot?
• Can you smell something damp or mouldy?
• 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. If you choose to ignore it for too long the damage could be huge. The repair bills even more expensive and unfortunately water and wiring may eventually mix causing a dangerous situation. in more extreme cases your home foundations could be compromised.

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 high, head out to your water meter. Just before you go out there, turn off every tap in the house and then look to see if the meter dials are turning anyway. If your meter continues to turn you can be certain that you have a water leak. Now you will need to find the water leak to fix.

For a really small leak, you may not see the meter moving fast, so to be sure, jot down the numbers and come back in an hour. If the numbers have changed but no taps are dripping its almost certain that there is a slow leak.

2. Check the taps

A rubber washer is all that stands between taps inside and outside your home. If those washers have perished this can cause an annoying leak. You can try change a tap washer by yourself but some can be tricky. It should however be a super easy task for any plumber. Chances are you’ll already notice needing leaking taps fixed in common area’s like your kitchen. Check throughout your house and check garden taps that might not be seen that often. Have you noticed a change in water pressure?

3. Check the toilet

Another common, leaky culprit is your toilet. 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 have discovered 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 every day. So have a good thorough look around and see if you simply haven’t noticed discolouration, a crack, a stain, an odd smell.

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

5. Call an expert

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

What equipment? We’re talking about cameras, audio gear and thermal imaging to detect the faintest leak. We use pipe locator technology and a range of expert skills & techniques learned over many years in the business. If you’re located in Sydney, the plumbers at Affordable Plumbing Solutions is the business to call. They are water leak detection experts that can locate and repair those water leaks efficiently. Do you have underground leaks but do not want to compromise digging? No worries, with their latest technology of no-dig pipe relining services they can get to the issue without disruption.

So always remember: While the thought of a hidden leak might be tempting to ignore, you’re only welcoming into your home massive structural damage, huge bills, dampness, mould, extremely dangerous water and electrical hazards. So don’t ignore your leaks – get on top of them today by calling Affordable Plumbing Solutions 0417 142 430.