6 Ways To Find Hidden Water Leaks

Finding a water leak in its earliest stages can help you save money and avert an oncoming disaster. Finding a water leak in its earliest stages can help you find it. The following are some signs that could indicate that you have a water leak, and you should consider calling a plumber if the problem persists after these signs have been addressed. 

1. Check your water meter.

Examining the water meter is one of the most effective methods for determining whether or not there is a leak in your home’s plumbing. To accomplish this, you will first need to stop the flow of water throughout the entire house. Turn off all the taps and ensure that the washing machine and the dishwasher are not operating while the water is still running. Next, keep an eye on the meter to determine whether it has started moving. If it does, you most likely have a leak that moves quickly. Wait two hours and then recheck the meter if there is no change in the reading immediately. If it has changed, even though all the water has been turned off, you may be dealing with a leak that is taking place at a slower rate. After the meter, or possibly even below ground, the water could be leaking somewhere. Remember that the homeowner is responsible for any pipework after the meter.

2. Look at your usage

To determine whether or not there is a water leak in your house, the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States recommends that you keep track of how much water you use throughout the winter. If a family home with four people consumes more than 12,000 gallons of water in a single month, there is almost certainly a significant leak problem somewhere in the plumbing system.

3. Monitor your bill

Even if you haven’t made any changes to the way you regularly use water, a leak likely is to blame for the continuously growing water bill you’ve been receiving. You can assess whether or not there has been an increase in the overall cost of your bills by comparing a few of the ones you’ve gotten over the past few months. For your water bill to be considered normal on a monthly basis, it needs to be within a specified range. Bear in mind that there is a possibility that some of the pipes in your home are buried underneath the ground. Although you may never find leaks in this part of your system, you will still be responsible for paying for any damages caused by leaks regardless of whether or not you find them. Employing a licensed plumber with years of experience to thoroughly examine every pipe is always the best course of action to take. Both the sound of running water and a warm spot on the floor, which indicates that there is piping under the slab, demand prompt attention from a professional specialist.

4. Grab some food coloring

Because they are responsible for as much as thirty percent of the water utilized in a home, it is essential to ensure that your toilets are flushing appropriately. Put a few drops of food coloring into the tank of your toilet, wait ten minutes, and then remove the drops to detect if your toilet has any leaks. If the color is discovered in the bowl, this is evidence that there is a leak in the plumbing that enables water to flow from the tank to the drain even when the bowl is not being flushed.

5. Check exterior usage

It is not just the interior of the house that has the potential to release a leak; the exterior of the house also has this potential. If water leaks through the connection while the garden hose is flowing, you will need to replace the rubber hose gasket and check to ensure that all connections are secure. In addition, you will need to make sure that the garden hose is not damaged. Check the functionality of the fixtures outside your home by connecting a garden hose to them. If you have an irrigation system, consider having it inspected by a qualified expert on at least an annual basis. Any leak in a system, no matter how little, has the potential to waste 6,300 gallons of water every single month. 

6. Use common sense

If you make it a habit to check under the cabinets and the sinks regularly for any symptoms of mildew or unpleasant smells that might suggest a leak, you might save yourself thousands of dollars in repairs if you catch the problem promptly. If you don’t make it a habit to check under the cabinets and the sinks regularly, you might only catch the problem once it’s too late. It would help if you gave some thought to the possibility of employing a qualified plumber to do an annual inspection of your property to look for any indications of water damage or potential problems with the plumbing.

If your home is more than 25 years old, you should exercise increased caution due to the possibility that the plumbing system is getting close to the end of its estimated lifespan. Check for oxidation or discoloration at all connections immediately accessible at the water heater, pumps, washing machine hoses, and valves. These are both apparent symptoms of a progressive leak in the system.

If you have any reason to suspect a leak in your plumbing system, you should first schedule an appointment with a licensed plumber as soon as possible. Be sure to take any action before the problem has become significantly more complex and you are faced with a genuine muddle.