Plumbing leaks are a problem that no homeowner wants to deal with. But if you do have a plumbing leak, you definitely want to identify and fix it sooner rather than later. Allowing a plumbing leak to persist can mean more damage to your home as time passes, especially if you’re also noticing weird plumbing smells or noises.
How Can You Detect a Plumbing Leak in Your Home?
- Unexpected increases in your water bill
- Sounds of running water when fixtures are off
- Water stains on walls, ceilings, or floors
- Mold or mildew growth in damp areas
- Reduced water pressure from faucets
- Musty odors near sinks, toilets, or pipes
If you’re wondering how to detect plumbing leaks in your home, you’re in the right spot. We offer plumbing service in Doylestown, PA, and can help you with any plumbing services, big or small. You can keep reading to learn five ways that you can identify plumbing leaks even if you cannot see them.
Use Your Water Meter to Find Hidden Leaks
One of the easiest ways to detect a water leak is by using your water meter. First, you want to turn off all faucets in your home. This includes your shower, your washer and your dishwasher. Then go outside and read your water meter. Write down the reading, and then check it again a couple of hours later. During this period of time, don’t use any water in your home. Don’t even flush the toilet. If the reading changed and went up, you may have a leak somewhere.
Low Water Pressure? It Could Be a Leak
You can test your water pressure one of two ways. The first is by using a pressure gauge that you can pick up at a local hardware store. You turn off all sources of water in your home and then connect the gauge to a single faucet to get a reading. However, this only helps if you knew what your water pressure was before. If you think your water pressure is low, you can give us a call with the reading. It will give us an idea of whether or not you have low water pressure compared to what you should have.
But you can also just monitor the water pressure on your own without having a gauge. If you feel like your water pressure is lower than normal, give us a call. Your intuition is usually right. You can narrow down whether it is a problem with your hot water or your larger plumbing system by first turning on your cold water and getting an idea of what the water pressure is like. Then turn the cold water off and turn the hot water on. If the hot water pressure is significantly lower, then it may be a problem with your hot water tank. If the pressures are about the same, then your water line needs help.
Hearing Running Water? It May Be a Leak
Turn off all of your water faucets and water appliances in your home. Then listen for the sound of running water. You may hear a leak in a pipe in your wall or even your toilet running when no one is using it. Any sound of water running when you don’t have a faucet or appliance on is a sign of a leak. Keep in mind that these can be difficult to hear through your walls, ceilings, or floors. If you suspect you have a leak but cannot hear running water, you should still give us a call since this isn’t a foolproof way to identify leaks.
High Water Bills? Leak Detection Tips
You may not pay much attention to your water bill each month. If the price is around the same, you may pay it and keep moving down your list of bills. But a leak can show up on your utility bills by way of higher water usage. If you can look back and see that your water bills have been creeping up over time, red flags in your water line may be to blame. You may also notice that your water bill went up significantly one month and then stayed higher. This is also a sign that you have a plumbing leak.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What is one simple way to detect a hidden plumbing leak?
Answer: One effective method is to use your water meter, turn off all water use in your home, then check the meter after a few hours. If it increases even without usage, that can indicate a leak somewhere in your plumbing.
Question: How can water pressure help identify a leak?
Answer: Monitoring your water pressure can help reveal plumbing issues. If pressure feels lower than usual and other fixtures also show weakness, it might suggest a leak in the supply lines that needs further inspection.
Question: Why should I pay attention to sounds like running water?
Answer: Hearing running water when no faucets or appliances are on can mean water is leaking inside walls or pipes. These sounds are a common sign of hidden leaks before visible damage appears.
Question: Can my water bill show that I have a leak?
Answer: Yes, unexplained increases in your water bill without increased usage often point to hidden leaks, as undetected water loss adds up over time.
Question: What visible signs might suggest a plumbing leak?
Answer: Look for damp spots, unusual stains on ceilings or walls, or water pooling under sinks or near appliances, since these can all be evidence of a leak in nearby pipes.
Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling does what’s right for our customers. Schedule an appointment today for plumbing services.