Plumbing leaks can be a huge hassle, particularly if you don't find them quickly. For this reason, it is very important to be able to identify the warning signs of a potential leak. By finding and fixing the leak in a timely manner, you can save yourself a lot of money and stress. To help you out with this, here are some steps that can help you find any potential leaks:
Check the Water Meter
Your first stop should be to check the water meter. Before doing so, make sure that all of your faucets are turned off and that no water is actively flowing. This will allow the water meter to show you any errant water flow, which is likely coming from a leak.
If the water meter does indicate that there is some water flow, even if there is no water running in your home or yard, then you will need to start hunting for the leak.
Check Water Outlets
You want to first check every area of your house that has a water outlet. This primarily means your bathrooms and kitchen, since you want to take a hard look at all of the faucets and toilets.
Faucets
Leaky faucets can be the easiest to identify, since the difference in water pressure can be very noticeable. Even if you can't notice a decline in water pressure, then you can still take a look beneath the sink. If you find any standing water, then there is a very real possibility that you are dealing with a leak, particularly if that water has reappeared after being cleaned up in the past.
If you are lucky, then you are simply dealing with a worn washer, which can be easily replaced if you have access to a wrench. If you are less lucky, then the leak might be due to a crack in the pipes. These can be difficult to fix if the pipe is directly accessible from under the sink, but they can be practically impossible to fix if they are somewhere in the walls. In such a case, you should consider consulting a plumber.
Toilets
When it comes to toilet leaks, water often flows from the tank to the bowl freely, which results in a lot of wasted water over time. To see if this is the case, then you can add a bit of food coloring to the tank of water. Check back in a few minutes to see if any of the color has appeared in the bowl. If the coloring does appear fairly quickly, then that should tell you that there is water flowing into the bowl.
Fixing this can be easy or difficult, depending on what the exact problem is. On the easy end of the spectrum, the rubber stopper in the tank might simply have worn out. Replacing it shouldn't involve more than a trip to the hardware store.
If that is not the problem, then there might be a more serious structural problem. You might not be able to easily identify the problem on your own, which means that a plumber's consultation could be valuable.
For plumbing services, contact a company such as Bowman's Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc.
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