Water Leak Detection Can Be a Problem For Homeowners
You don’t want to pay for the plumber to come out if there’s actually no problem. You think that you might have a leak, but you’re not exactly sure if that’s what’s going on, or if it’s just part of a bigger problem. Want to learn how to detect and identify leaks that could cause significant water damage to your home? We have the knowledge that you need. Here are three common techniques used to detect water leaks inside of the home.
1. Check Your Water Meter
First step is to make sure that no water is being used inside or outside of your home. If you have a sink on, this isn’t going to work. Make sure that no water at all is being used. Then go into your water meter and see if that meter is moving. If it is, the most likely explanation is that you have a leak in your house. In order to make sure that the first meter reading was good, come back and check again in a few hours to see if it’s still moving when no water is being used in your house. This is the most convenient way to detect an unseen leak, as you don’t have to root around anywhere or really get dirty at all. If you shut off the water valve inside of your house, and the meter stops moving, you know the leak is inside of your house. If you shut off the water valve and the meter continues moving, you know the leak is outside of your house. Test from there, and then have a plumber come out and fix the rest of the problem.
2. Check the Top of the Toilet
One of the best ways to check for a leak is to listen close for hissing. That usually means that pressure is being released somewhere, and if pressure is being released in a water system, it’s more than likely that water is also being released. If you take the top off of your toilet, listen closely, and if you hear a hissing noise, you may have found the place that the leak is coming from. From there, you can decide if you can fix the leak on your own, or if you need to bring in a professional plumber that’s well versed in this sort of thing. Do it with every single toilet to make sure that you don’t have more than one toilet leak in your house.
3. Look For Water Buildup
If you have excessive moisture in a place that doesn’t make sense, you could have a leak somewhere in your house. Mind you, it doesn’t have to be a constant stream of water in order for it to be a leak, it can even be a standing puddle of water. Start in the lowest part of your house (the basement if you have one) and then work your way up from there. If you’re hearing running water, it might be time to call your local plumber to come out and fix the leak.
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