How To Identify a Water Leak
Is your water bill suspiciously high? You might have a leak.
There are a few ways you can instantly tell that you have a leak: Water damage appearing in your home, swampy or green spots springing up in your yard, or even just blatantly observing a leaky faucet or spigot. Even a small leak adds up over time, causing damage and costing you money! Not to fear, however, because our team of specialized plumbers at Gold Seal can identify and repair whatever type of leak is troubling you.
Leaks can arise due to a multitude of factors, from being as simple as a broken or loose seal, to as deep-rooted as a broken pipe. The usual suspects in pipe breaks include:
- Corrosion
- Clogs
- Excessive water pressure
- Encroaching tree roots
- Rapid temperature changes
- Faulty pipes/installation
If you’re seeing water spots forming in your walls, ceiling, or floors, that could indicate a broken pipe in your home. You may also notice a wet patch in an area of your yard, indicating a broken pipe underground. We can address both of these issues before any further damage is created and money is wasted.
Even when the integrity of the pipe walls are in optimal condition, the joints connecting the pipes may be compromised. Pipe joints are the weakest point in the overall piping system, and when put under significant pressure over time, they are prone to loosening and leaking. You may even hear the rattling of the joints as water passes through them – that’s your cue to call us!
There are even more reasons that water may be leaking in or around your home, as all water-bearing connections are susceptible to be disconnected, loosened, and disintegrated with use. Keep your eyes peeled for water pooling around your appliances – water connector hoses that attach to your appliances may have been jostled loose, the seals around such hoses and the appliances may have broken down, or the parts inside the appliances themselves may be working incorrectly.
A subtle and frequent example of the latter is toilet water leaking from the tank into the bowl. This occurs when the flapper – the mechanism inside the toilet tank that dictates water flow from the tank to the bowl when the toilet is flushed – degrades over time and allows water to trickle down when the toilet is in the passive state. The best way to check if it’s time for a new flapper is the dye test: Simply squirt a few drops of food coloring into your toilet tank to color the water and wait about 5 minutes. If color appears in the toilet bowl, that means you have a leak at this connection. This condition is a huge water waster if left untreated, so don’t let it fly under the radar!
If the visual, olfactory, and auditory cues of a leak aren’t obvious, you can confirm your leaking suspicions by checking your water meter. Here’s the protocol: Turn off all faucets and water-using appliances in your home and make a mark of the numbers that appear on your water meter. Wait at least one hour without using any water in your home and check the meter again – if the numbers have changed, that means you have a leak somewhere. You can even determine if the leak is outside or inside your home: Turn off the water shut off valve where water enters your home, which is usually located in a basement or utility room, and repeat the waiting process. If the numbers have changed, you have a leak in the underground pipes leading to your home. If they haven’t changed, the leak is coming from the piping within your home.
Our team of specialized plumbers don’t want you to go another day with a pesky leak chewing away at your home and your wallet – let us inspect your water system and return it to peak performance. Call or text us at (509) 535-5946 or send us an email inquiry at service@goldsealplumbing.com today!
