How many times have you ignored a leaking faucet or low water pressure? If the answer is “every time,” you have probably never experienced the pain of dealing with a serious leak in one of your water lines. To avoid major damage, it is important to know what to look for before the situation gets out of hand.
There are a number of telltale signs of water line problems that many homeowners either ignore or don’t understand when it comes to plumbing. However, the fact remains that undetected leaks can result in major damage to various structures in a property.
Hidden Leaks
Your plumbing system is made up of a huge network of water lines, which are attached to various appliances throughout the home. Most plumbing is also hidden from sight and not easily accessible. That means there is the potential for water to build up behind walls, under floors or in the rooms you use least.
Luckily, there are steps you can take to detect leaks in your water lines. You may not have the ability to check every inch of your plumbing, but you can get at least determined if there is a problem somewhere in the system.
Turn Off Warm Water Appliances
Any appliance that uses your warm water mains will make it difficult to detect if there are leaks in your water lines. The first thing you need to do is turn off all appliances that require warm water input or output.
Even if an appliance is not currently in use, it may have a function that affects the ability to detect a leak. Good examples of this include washing machines and certain types of AC units. Once everything is off, you can move to the next step.
Check Your Water Meter
Your main’s water meter is an important tool to help check for undetected leaks. You can use the dial on your water meter to determine whether there is a problem anywhere in your plumbing system, within just a few minutes.
The dial on your meter should not move when your warm water appliances are all turned off. If the dial moves during your observation, there is a 99.9 percent chance there are one or more leaks in your water lines.
Check Meter Numbers
The numbers on your meter provide another important indicator of whether your water lines are free of leaks. In theory, these numbers should remain static, so long as you are not using any water.
Take note of the numbers and then give it twenty minutes before coming back to check again. Remember, you cannot use any water while you are waiting, otherwise, you will not get an accurate result. If the numbers don’t match on your second check, you may have a problem.
Call the Experts at Show Plumbing. We have the ability to check leaks throughout your plumbing system and carry out essential repairs, to help prevent major damage affecting the important structures in your home.
Call the Experts at Show Plumbing. We have the ability to check leaks throughout your plumbing system and carry out essential repairs, to help prevent major damage affecting the important structures in your home.