Express Plumbing Heating & Air Blog
Plumbing leaks are the worst when you don’t even know where they are coming from. Somewhere in your home, water could be dripping from your pipes, running up your water bill, and starting the growth of mold or mildew. The average home loses about 22 gallons of water per day to leaks. If you don’t catch a leak as soon as possible, you could have some costly repairs that need to be made. Here are some tricks to help you catch those pesky leaks:
Check your water meter or water bill:
the easiest way to uncover a leak is to keep an eye on your water meter. If it’s running unusually high, or you see an unexplained increase in your water bill, there could be a leak somewhere. If you do see an increase try this tip: Turn off all the appliances that use water, like the washing machine, dishwasher, and sprinkler. Don’t use the shower or sink or flush the toilets for a few hours. If the water meter keeps tricking away, then that’s a sign you have a leak on your hands.
Discover where the leak is occurring:
Rule out obvious places first. Check all visible pipes, valves, and fixtures for your sinks, showers, toilets, and washing machine hoses. If you see any drips or puddles in the area, then you found a leak. Proceed to repair it or call Express Plumbing Heating & Air to complete the work for you. If you don’t see anything then your leak could be inside your wall in the pipes, which could cause major damage to your home. If you smell any nasty odors coming from the walls, that could indicate mold growth.
Toilet running:
There is a simple food coloring test you can perform to test for a running toilet. So add a few drops of food coloring to the tank of your toilet. Do not flush the toilet for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes check the toilet bowl, there should be no color in the bowl. If there is, then you have a leak in your toilet.
Call Express Plumbing Heating & Air if you believe you have a leak in your home and are unable to find it. We have all the right equipment to assist you before a bigger problem occurs.
