Water leaks can cause serious structural and cosmetic damage to your home and cost large amounts of money to repair if you don’t take action as soon as you think you might have a water leak. The earlier leaks are detected the less the amount of damage will be done to your home. If you think you may have a water leak in your Melbourne home and are concerned about the damage being done (not to mention the environmental impact of wasting thousands of litres of water) then here are 5 handy DIY steps you can use to determine if you have a water leak.
Test your water meter
First thing to do if you suspect you have a water leak is to isolate your water supply by turning your mains water supply valve off at the water meter. If your home or business is part of a body corporate there is usually a bank of water meters in an allocated area so you’ll find your isolation valve there.
Take a meter reading while your water supply is turned off and write it down. Turn the isolation valves off to your toilets then turn your main water supply back on. Wait approx. 1 hour but make sure no taps or fixtures are used in this time. After 1 hour take another meter reading, it should read the same as the number you wrote down. If it’s moved it sounds like you have a leak.
If you suspect you have a leak Call your Local Plumber Essendon Plumbing Services on 03 9335 4755 for a fast reliable service 24/7 365 days of the year and remember to turn the water back on to your toilets.
Toilet Dye
To make sure your toilet is not the cause of your water leak and is functioning properly carry out the following simple test.
Remove the cistern lid on your toilet. Place a small amount of toilet leak detection dye or general food dye into the cistern tank. These dyes will not stain your toilet or cistern tank. Wait approx. 30min then look in your toilet bowl. If the dye is in the bowl then you have a leaking toilet which will be causing your water usage to be far greater than it should be. As water leaks into the bowl fresh water is being replaced in the cistern tank. Your toilet will need either the inlet valve or outlet valve washers replaced. Your local licenced plumbing professional at Essendon Plumbing Services can help on 03 9335 4755.
Listen
When water pipes burst or are leaking you can often hear a hissing or humming sound in the walls, ceiling or under the floor. Pipes are located in the walls, under the floor or in the ceiling around your bathroom, laundry and kitchen areas so these are great places to start listening. If you can hear any noises in these areas and your water mater test has shown you have a leak then it’s time to call in your Local licensed plumbing professional. Call Essendon Plumbing Services on 03 9335 4755 for a fast resolution to your water leak in Melbourne.
Damp Smells
Have you noticed dampness or mould growing on carpets, water staining on plaster walls or ceilings or puddles of water around the outside of your home? Often mould will start to grow on carpeted areas on the opposite side of the wall to a shower or bath. Skirting boards will start to swell up and discolour and moisture being present will cause surfaces to stain. Generally speaking the larger the stain the bigger the leak and they are all sign you have a water leak.
Water Ponding
Pools of water outside in your garden or lawn area may be signs you have a leak in your irrigation or watering system. Leaking solenoid valves, split irrigation pipes and leaking sprinkler heads can all be the cause of water leaks and excessive water use. If a sprinkler solenoid valve is passing water it may be ponding around the sprinkler heads.
An obvious sign would be a permanent wet area even when your irrigation system is turned off. A simple test is to turn your irrigation system off for a period of 1 week. While it is off over the week look around to see if there are any pools of water or wet patches. If there are then you have a leaking irrigation system. Another obvious sign is an area of lawn that is greener than the rest, if that green area is damp under foot then the signs once again are you have a water leak.
Repairing your water leak.
Water leaks can cause extensive damage and if left unattended to can be expensive to repair. The cost of fixing a water leak is not expensive but repairing the damage the water leak has caused can be very expensive. If you suspect you have a water leak don’t wait - Call your Local Licensed Plumber at Essendon Plumbing Services on 03 9335 4755 for a fast reliable service 24/7 365 days of the year.