How To Find Water Leaks In My Home

One of the most common worries you might have surrounding your home entails potential water leaks. A water leak can be dangerous, as it can cause water damage throughout your property. A leak can cause many surfaces around your home to become weak. Mould and mildew could potentially grow in some spots. You could also end up spending more money on your utility bill if there’s a water leak.

The damages to your home can be significant. But the worst part about water leaks is that they can develop without you knowing what’s happening. You’ll need to know what’s happening in your home and resolve them as soon as possible.

You might be asking yourself, “How can I find water leaks in my home? There are too many water sources around my property.” But you can use a few points to help you find water leaks and to fix them before they can become any more significant than you might expect.

WATCH FOR VISIBLE ISSUES AROUND YOUR HOME

There are a few visible concerns to notice around your home that may be signs of a water leak. These include the following situations that might be highly common:

• You might notice stains around your walls, ceilings, or other surfaces. These stains will cause substantial discolouration.
• The wallpaper in any place where you have it might start to tear apart. The bonding agent that keeps the wallpaper in place might weaken.
• The floors around your home might feel different than usual. A carpeted floor might develop damp spots. A wood floor may develop warped spaces where some planks or pieces might stick outward or sink.
• The drywall surfaces around some spots may be damp.
• Mildew and mould might develop in spots outside your bathroom, including areas that aren’t always humid.

These visible worries will be the most prominent in spaces where the leaks appear. But sometimes the water might flow well enough to other spots around your house. A leak can grow to spread through more spots around the house unless you correct the issue.

CHECK FOR UNUSUAL ODORS

Look for any unappealing odours that might appear around your house. Mould and mildew can produce intense odours. Mould will have an unusual smell that feels like rotten wood. The musty scent will become more intense as the mould or mildew continues to flow. The odours can become intense enough to where you might struggle to breathe in some spots around your home.

REVIEW YOUR TAPS FOR DRIPS

You might assume a dripping tap comes from how water has been flowing through the spot and that the area is drying out. But the dripping may be due to a water leak.

A dripping tap is a sign that a water seal around the spot is leaking. The weak seal can allow water to flow through the spot, even when the water has been shut off.

Sometimes the dripping can be fixed by replacing a washer. But you will require professional assistance if you replace the washer and the leak is still prevalent.

LOOK AT WATER-USING APPLIANCES

The next point to use involves reviewing the water-using appliances around your property. These include your washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, and anything else you might utilize. You may notice various concerns in these appliances:

* A supply hose leaking
* A joint developing drips
* Openings around some mechanisms
* Clogs or other items that might add undue pressure to certain spots

These problems can cause water leaks. Sometimes these leaks will develop around the appliance’s location. A leaking dishwasher can cause a floor to become warped, for example. But the leak might also spread to another spot in your home.

CHECK YOUR WATER METER

You can use a few steps when using your water meter to see if there’s a leak. These steps can help you figure out if there’s a leak and if the leak is inside or outside the home:

* Turn off all the water sources in your home before checking your meter. Go to the main shut-off valve in your home and turn the water off from there. The valve should near the bottom part of your home, but it could also be under an outside tap.

After figuring out the concern, you can look for your leak in the right place.

TEST YOUR TOILETS

The toilets in your home will use more water than most other things around your property. You must ensure your bathrooms stay functional and that there aren’t any leaks in these parts.

You can use a few steps to identify leaks in your toilets:

* Add a couple of drops of food colouring to your toilet tank.
* Wait for about ten minutes to allow the food colouring drops to move through the toilet.
* Check the toilet bowl to see if the new colour appears. You can tell there’s a leak in your toilet if you notice discolouration. The leak allows the water to move from the tank to the drain even if you don’t flush the bowl.

ARE SOME SPOTS OF GRASS GREENER?

The next way to find water leaks in your home is to look at the grass around your yard. You might notice some spots are greener than others. They may also be growing faster than other spots, or they might feel soft when you step on them. These places could even be damp even if it hasn’t rained in a while.

There may be a space under your lawn where the water is leaking. A buried water line would have a leak surrounding that spot. Sometimes the leak might produce some puddles of water if it is significant enough.

CHECK YOUR WATER BILL

Look at your water bill and see what it says. It might be higher than what you usually spend. A bill that is more expensive despite you not actively using more money than usual could suggest a leak. You could waste thousands of gallons of water on your property if you don’t resolve the water leak issue.

IDENTIFYING LEAKS ON OUTSIDE SPOTS

Some leaks may develop near the outside taps or downpipes at your home. You can check these taps by looking to see if water is seeping through a connection between a garden hose and the tap. The connections might be loose, or the rubber hose needs to be replaced. You will require additional help if you replace the hose and fix the links and you still notice a leak.

The outside leak can damage your yard, but it could also harm your property’s structural integrity. The leak could cause your home’s foundation to crack or shift. It may also cause the soil around your home to shift.

CAN A LEAK DETECTOR WORK?

You can use a leak detector to help you find leaks in some spots, although it might take a bit for the detector to signal that there’s an issue in your home. The setup will produce an alert if it detects water in an area.

You can add a detector around spots in your home where you suspect there might be a leak. You could add one near a water-producing appliance or near an area where you notice stains or other signs of a leak. The detector will confirm your suspicion if it can find water in that spot.

REVIEW EVERYTHING IF YOUR PLUMBING SYSTEM IS OLD

The last consideration to see when finding water damage is to look at the age of your home’s plumbing system. You will be more likely to have a plumbing leak if your setup is older in age. An average plumbing system can work for about twenty to thirty years before replacing the setup. Some metal pipes can last for even longer, but even those could be susceptible to damages and leaks after a while. Be vigilant of leaks if your plumbing system has been working for a while.

CONTACT US FOR ASSISTANCE IN FIXING YOUR WATER DAMAGED SPOTS

Our team at Tersus Ltd understands the worries you have surrounding water leaks and how they can develop. We can assist you in restoring your property if you ever experience any water damage. We are available for homeowners throughout Ireland, so contact us today to learn about what we have to offer. Our work will assist you by clearing any prior signs of damage.

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