A water leak in your home always leads to a terrible situation as it only takes a small leak to turn it into a potentially serious one. In addition, one of the most common problems is that small leaks can go undetected for long periods of time and during that period, it can cause numerous damages to your home that are hazardous and expensive.
One important thing to keep in mind is that there are common areas around your home that could cause or be the source of a water leak that you can check. It wouldn’t hurt to do some water leak detection in your home routinely even if you don’t see a water leak at the moment.
The first thing that you’ll notice are signs like your water bill suddenly spiking up without an increase in your usage, discoloration on your walls or ceilings, and the floor in your basement is cracking.
Let’s discuss further the 6 tips in detecting water leak in your home:
1. Check your water meter
This is considered the easiest and most effective water leak detection you can do in your home — this would help you determine if there’s a leak in some parts of your plumbing. To start this water leak detection, you first have to turn off all water in your home by shutting off faucets and make sure that your washing machine and dishwasher are not running. Then, watch your water meter and check if it begins to change. If there are changes, you likely have a fast water leak in your plumbing. However, if the meter doesn’t change, wait for two hours and check again. If there are changes then you must be dealing with a slow water leak.
2. Monitor your water bill
If your water bill is rising consistently but there is no change in your usage, a leak may be present. What you can do is to gather all your water bills in the past few months and make a comparison to determine if there is a steady increase. It is crucial to keep in mind that your bill should remain within the same range from one month to another. You may never detect that there are water leaks because some of your pipes are placed underground but you will always pay for them. Once there are increasing changes in your water bills, it’s best to have a plumber check your pipes because this kind of problem needs the attention of professional water leak detection.
3. Look at your water usage
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, it is recommended to check your winter water usage to know if there are water leaks occurring somewhere inside your home. For example, if you have a family of four and you’re using more than 12,000 gallons of water monthly, it’s probable that you are dealing with a water leak problem somewhere in your plumbing system.
4. Check your exterior usage
Water leaks may also occur outside you home, that’s why it is also advisable to check your outside spigots by attaching your garden hose — if you see water seeping through the connection while the hose is running, you can replace the rubber hose gasket and check to see if all connections are tight and sealed. You may also want to consider having your irrigation checked by a professional once every year because a system with a small leak could waste you 6,300 gallons of water a month.
5. Use food coloring
You should also check your toilets because they can account for about 30% of your water usage. To perform water leak detection, add a few drops of food coloring to your toilet tank and wait for 30 minutes. If the color shows up inside your bowl, then it means you have a leak that allows water to flow from the tank to drain without you flushing.
6. Check your water heater
Most of the time, water heaters are the items that hardly ever get looked at, unless you are having it inspected or changing the water temperature. Water heaters could be one of the most common sources of water leaks without you noticing it. You may also check for dripping water or check the floor area beneath it if it’s damp.
It is essential to be vigilant, especially if your home is over 25 years old. At this rate, your home’s plumbing system may be declining. Inspecting all accessible water connections is crucial.