How To Tell If You Have Water Leak

WaterLeak

Nearly 10% of homes have an undetected water leak that loses them effectually ninety gallons of water a day.

Nobody wants to be losing coin through their water pipes, not to mention the thousands of dollars worth of damage a leak could be doing to your property.

If yous doubtable something may exist wrong in your dwelling house, read our guide well-nigh how to tell if you take a h2o leak and what signs to look out for.

i. Increased H2o Bills

Have your water bills been creeping upward recently? This could indicate that in that location is a leak somewhere in your system.

If yous detect you are using more than h2o than usual with no obvious reasons as to why, you may want to check your property for signs of a leak.

According to the U.S Environmental Protection Bureau, a family of four should not exceed more than 12,000 gallons of usage per month. Check your usage against previous bills, particularly in the coldest months.

If you lot exceed the national average by a considerable amount, y'all likely have a serious leak on your hands.

two. Wet Spots

Wet spots can be difficult to observe sometimes, especially if your leak is not a large i. Y'all tin can see them on the floor, walls, and ceiling. They are common if your roof is leaking.

If it is a small leak, then they may dry upward before you lot notice them, or you make think it is only a spill.

Check outside your property too. If you notice a patch of grass that is doing far better than the rest of the lawn surrounding it, you may have an secret leak in your irrigation system.

You will need a plumber to investigate further.

three. Stains

Later a wet patch has dried upward and returned consistently for a period of time, yous will notice the surface area becomes discolored and stained. Often if information technology is on a white surface, the area becomes yellowed from the water.

This is ofttimes accompanied past mold growth or mildew. If yous accept not noticed the recurring wet patch, you are more than likely to notice the staining at a subsequently date.

By the fourth dimension staining occurs, you may also be able to notice a musty or moldy smell. This signifies that the leak is deep-set and needs a plumber to take a look at the impairment.

iv. Mold Growth

Mold and mildew love damp environments. It tin can take but 24 hours for some types of mold to abound. If an area is permanently moisture, mold and mildew are likely to develop, and these could exist signs of a water leak.

Mold is dangerous to alive with every bit it causes respiratory problems. Mold spores release into the air, and when you breathe them in, they can cause serious wellness issues in the lungs.

Mold is frequently smelly likewise – it has a musty scent. If it is forming in a place that y'all tin non see, yous may notice the smell starting time.

Make sure y'all keep rooms well ventilated to avoid mold but start, you must deal with the water leak. Speak to a professional to brand sure the mold is completely removed safely.

5. Soft Woods

Wood that has get permanently wet will go spongy to the bear upon. If y'all utilise whatsoever pressure, y'all volition feel it give way under your fingers.

Wood absorbs water making it flexible and soft. This is a sign of serious water impairment and needs to be urgently investigated.

Y'all may detect it in bathrooms if the h2o is leaking into the surrounding fixtures and fittings. Once the wood is damaged similar this, information technology tin non exist repaired and needs to be replaced.

Remove the fixtures and expect for any leaks in the wall and flooring behind.

half dozen. Peeling Paint

Peeling pigment is often an early sign that a leak has taken place somewhere and may have been leaking for some fourth dimension. When pigment becomes damp, it no longer remains adhesive to the wall.

Sometimes it volition peel abroad one long strip when it is even so quite wet. Other times, if information technology has had fourth dimension to dry, yous may observe that the pigment blisters and cracks leaving the wall in flakes.

Both are signs that you demand to investigate the underlying problem.

vii. Poor Water Pressure

Exercise you notice that when you shower or try to cascade a glass of h2o, the water pressure is weaker? Many put this off as a sign that in that location is a fault somewhere in the mains, out in the street.

However, it can also be a sign that y'all are experiencing a leak on your property. If the h2o pressure continues to be a problem over a long period of time, speak to your water company.

If they do not know of whatsoever leaks in your area, it is time to check inside your holding premises.

8. Sagging Ceiling

When there is a large leak between floors, ane of the more alarming signs can be a sagging ceiling. If the water leak is rapid and large, like an overflowing bathroom, then the sagging volition rapidly become credible.

But, also continue an centre out for any sagging in your ceiling areas that develop over time. These can indicate a leaking pipe that is only releasing a minor amount of water.

Eventually, enough water will assemble to collapse and cause major damage to your ceilings.

9. Rusted Metallic

Have you found whatsoever nails in your walls that have gone rusty? This is a sign of dampness inside the walls. An untreated water leak could cause this damp.

Other signs are rusty pipes in your plumbing. Older pipes made from galvanized steel volition rust if they are leaking. If you spot any rusty pipes, you should investigate the area of leaks and replace them.

10. Noisy Plumbing

Anybody hears a few bumps and bangs in the nighttime equally the air in the pipes settles. Yet, if yous hear a constant dripping dissonance or find that your toilet is permanently refilling, you may have a water leak.

Toilets, in particular, become very noisy when there is a water leak. The tank will constantly have in h2o, and often, the pipe will grumble and burp as the air moves effectually.

If your toilet is existence very noisy, time to get a plumber to investigate what is going on.

What to Do if You Suspect a Water Leak?

Do you suspect that yous have a water leak on your property? Then don't wait to accept activity. You demand to call in an expert plumber equally soon as possible to prevent the leak from worsening.

If you are interested in waterproofing your property, please look at our services page and see how we tin can assistance you.