Water Leaks

Prevent Damage Before It Happens: How To Detect Water Leaks

Every homeowner knows that when they purchase a home, it is a lifelong investment. One of the most vexing problems that any homeowner can run into is suddenly receiving a water bill that is astronomically higher than it should be, and the cause is most likely due to water leaks. Not all of them are visible, nor are they always easy to find. We will give you some tips to follow so that you can try and spot a leak before it causes lasting damage to your home.

 
Everyone here at Liberty Plumbing and Septic understand how frustrating it can be to deal with water leaks. Call us today, and we will do our best to find and fix the leak before it is too late.

Surviving Sticker Shock

If you should get a water bill that seems higher than normal, the most likely culprit behind it is that you have water leaks somewhere inside or outside your home, along the metered route of incoming water. Some symptoms of water leaking somewhere is the sound of dripping, or the toilet runs longer than it should. This means that there is probably a blown seal or gasket somewhere inside a faucet, or in the toilet tank. The areas most used in a home should be checked first, namely the kitchen sink and the shower or toilet.

If you can see ripples on the surface of the water in the toilet bowl, you probably are experiencing a leak from the tank directly into the bowl. Another test to run is to turn off the water using the valve located under each sink, and next to the toilet. If the wheel inside the meter is still moving, it means that water is still flowing through somehow, and it may be time to call the plumber to check your system out.

Check All Water Using Appliances

The source of most hidden water leaking is often due to the seals around the piping for water using appliances becoming corroded, and slowly dripping water out of the connecting pipes. Leaking water heaters are high on the list, because no one regularly checks it until something goes wrong. If there is even a small amount of water standing on the floor near the base of the water heater, it is quite probable that you have a pipe leak somewhere.

The same goes for washing machines. Because the pipes used to send water into the machine is a two pipe system, subject to vibration from the machines, over time a pipe leak is bound to happen. Unfortunately, it usually drips behind the wall where the pipes are connected. This can lead to long-term damage in the wall and floor surrounding the machines, and a plumber should be called as soon as you suspect it happening. Outside water leaks can often be spotted by walking around the foundation, looking for wet patches of ground.