Plumbing Leak Detection Tips: Areas of the Home to Check for Water Leaks
To celebrate the EPA’s Tenth Annual Fix a Leak Week, which is March 19 through March 25, 2018, our plumbing leak repair experts want to share leak detection tips you can use around your home to check for water leaks.
Start by reviewing your water bills. If you notice your bills are slowly going up but your water usage has not changed, then you probably have a leak. Even if your bills have not gone up a lot, you may still have a minor leak.
The next tip is to read your water meter, then shut off all water in the home—don’t forget the automatic ice maker. After two hours or longer, check the meter. If the reading changes, it means water is leaking somewhere inside the home.
Once you determine you have a leak, you need to do a detailed inspection throughout the home. Start off by looking underneath the cabinets in your kitchen and bathrooms. Are there water stains, signs of moisture, or water puddles underneath the sink? If so, then there is a leak somewhere from a bad fitting or cracked pipe.
In the bathroom, check around the base of the toilet for signs of dampness and water. Look under the toilet tank and check for dripping water. Verify if there are any water stains on the bottom of the tank or around the toilet bowl. If so, you could have a slow water leak.
You can also put a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait about ten minutes. If you start to notice the colored water in the bowl, you have a toilet leak.
Tub and shower leaks can be a bit more difficult to notice if they are drainage leaks. If water stains start appearing on the ceiling or walls of your lower floor, below where the tub or shower is in upstairs bathrooms, or water is dripping in the basement or crawl space from under the tub or shower, you have a leak.
Why Check For Water Leaks?
According to the EPA, the average amount of water wasted by a home amounts to 10,000 gallons of water every year. In addition, ten percent of the homes with water leaks waste as much as 90 gallons or more every single day. The annual amount of water wasted nationwide from water leaks accounts for 1 trillion gallons. This is the average amount of water used by 11 million homes annually!
Should you discover a water leak, it is essential you have it repaired and fixed as soon as possible by our professional 24-hour plumbing service. Ignoring the leak will not make it go away. Instead, it will continue to leak and cause more damage to your home.
To have a leak fixed or if you need help finding a leak you know you have but cannot locate, please feel free to contact your nearest Christianson Air Conditioning & Plumbing location in Austin, San Antonia, Temple, or New Braunfels today!
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