Tips For Detecting A Water Leak

If you suspect a water leak in your house, and leave it unattended, it can be a huge problem. Apart from wasting thousands of litres unnecessarily, it hikes up your water bills and can even lead to severe structural damage in your home.

The problem is that sometimes leak detection can be tricky, especially if the pipes are in the walls or ground. Luckily, we’ve assembled a list of simple tips below for detecting a water leak.

What can cause a leak?

There are a number of things that can cause water leaks. If your house is built on stumps you can check the pipes underneath the house for leaks, otherwise, the leak could be coming from the walls within your home, underground or under the concrete slab. In this case you would need to call a plumber who is equipped with leak detection equipment such as a CCTV drain camera to inspect your plumbing system. The best form of leak detection is prevention, so keep an eye out for the below:

Blocked drains – This is the most common, and the most easily preventable. Clogs inside of your drains can cause an overflow and make your pipes burst. The best way to prevent this is to avoid putting materials like kitchen waste down your sink and to schedule a water leak inspection in Melbourne at the first sign of obstruction.
Weak pipe joints – These are prone to damage and deterioration. If you do not replace these when needed, it can cause your pipes to leak.
Water pressure – Your plumbing pipes are made to withstand a certain amount of water pressure; too much, and they may become damaged under the strain.
Tree roots – These can easily grow close to your pipes and interfere. Wet patches or sinkholes in your yard are a good indicator of this.
Rapid temperature changes – These cause your pipes to expand and contract at irregular rates, which can result in water pipe cracks.

Check your water meter

The first thing you should do if you suspect you have leaking water is to check your water meter.

Write down the number—pay special attention to the red numbers, as this will make it easier. Make sure that no water is being used, either inside or outside, and wait. If the number has climbed when you check your meter again, it is likely that you have an underground or hidden leak somewhere on your property.

Check the toilets and taps

These two are the usual culprits when it comes to water leaks. To make sure that neither are responsible, you can first check to see if they are making any sounds. If you hear a hissing sound, this is a strong indicator that you have a leak.

See if there’s any water running down the back of your toilets. You can put a piece of toilet paper—or something less valuable, like a cloth or scrap piece of paper— behind it, and check whether it stays dry after a few flushes. You can also test for leaks inside the toilet by adding a few drops of food colouring to the tank; if the colour begins to leach into the bowl, you know you have a leak on your hands.

Leaky faucets are usually easy to identify, but make sure that you also look under each sink as well for any moisture, stains or mould—all signs that your pipes may be leaking.

You should also check your hot water heater, pool, sprinkler system, and other outlets.

Watch your water bill

Make sure that you are aware of any drastic increases on your water bill. If your usage has remained the same but charges have gone up, there may be a problem.

Compare a few bills from previous months and see if there has been a steady increase.

What else should I look for?

Besides the tips outlined above, you should look out for the following as indicators of water leaks:

• The sound of water running
• Wet patches on the floors and walls, as well as in your front garden—if there is one patch of grass that looks a lot greener than the rest, you may have a leak
• Foul musty smell
• Unexplained drop in water pressure
• Discoloured walls and bubbling paint/wallpaper

Call an experienced plumber

If you suspect that you have a water leak in your home, you should book a local drain cleaner with one of the friendly experts at Zabs Plumbing today. Using the latest CCTV drain camera technology, we can reduce the guesswork and easily locate blocked drains, cracked and broken pipes, deterioration and damage from tree roots.

If you have any questions about leak detection, reach out to us on 0448 177 762 or contact Zabs Plumbing on 0448 177 762. We’d love to hear from you!

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