Water leaks aren’t always as obvious as a broken pipe spilling its contents onto the floor. Many are more subtle and difficult to locate. An unresolved water leak can do lots of damage. They cost homeowners in Camp Verde, AZ and the surrounding areas lots of money, but many locals know they can turn to us at Goettl's High Desert Mechanical for assistance. Here is a look at why water leaks are a problem and how to detect them.
Multiple Risks
One aspect of the situation is that a water leak is likely to drive up your utility bills. Even a tiny drip can add up over weeks and months, pushing your water bill bit by bit. Leaks attached to the hot water lines can force the system to have to heat the water more often, driving another utility bill up.
Leaking water can end up in hard-to-find locations. This can be especially problematic because these spots are frequently not ventilated well. Consequently, mold can grow in these locations and produce indoor air quality issues. Mold can also permeate through materials like drywall and wood, leading to major damage repair issues.
A similar set of problems can arise from water getting into your home’s structure. Even if it doesn’t produce mold, the water can slowly infiltrate the materials and soften them. Materials can then warp or even fail. For all of these reasons, you want to be able to detect water leaks as soon as possible after you suspect them
Use the Water Meter
Your home’s water meter is one of your best detection tools. When you know that no one in your house will be using any water, make sure everything is turned off. In other words, no one should be doing laundry, running the kitchen tap, or flushing the toilet. Once you’re confident that every fixture is idle, go to the water meter. Many meters have a leak indicator. This is often a floating arrow or dial that responds to even tiny fluctuations in the lines. If it moves even a smidge, then there’s a leak.
Visual Inspection
Many pipes in a house are visible. In some instances, walking along the length of the system and visually inspecting the pipes will reveal something. The most obvious sign is going to be moisture on the pipes. Leaks are especially common around joints like elbows and tees, so give these spots particular attention.
You can also look for nearby signs of damage. If you see staining on any wall, then there might be a pipe behind it that’s leaking. Also, look for spots where there’s damage on the floor. Even a small drip can slowly cut a depression into a concrete floor in a basement, for example.
You also will want to look for places where corrosion is collecting on the pipes. Minerals from the water can collect around the spot where the leak is. These often have a fuzzy texture, and the color is typically going to be quite light.
Track the Water Bill
Closely tracking your water bill is a good idea if you suspect there might be a water leak. It is a simple way to see if the usage level has gone up. If you don’t have a compelling reason why the bill is higher, then it might be time to start hunting for a leak. For example, you probably wouldn’t be suspicious if the water consumption went up after you had guests for a week. Conversely, it shouldn’t go up if everyone has been on their usual routine for the last month.
Be sure that you’re looking at the consumption rate and not the overall cost. If your water company raises rates, the same consumption may cost more. That is a problem, but it’s a different problem.
You should also check for seasonal shifts. Many people take more showers and do more laundry during the summer months. You want to be sure that your consumption is in line with your expectations based on previous years. If you can look at multiple years, then you’ll have a better picture of whether an uptick in water usage is seasonal or not.
Bear in mind that most spikes are indicative of major leaks. If your water bill almost doubles in a month, the odds are low that you just used a lot of water while washing your car. The more likely explanation is that there’s a leak somewhere in the system.
Listen
Plenty of noises may accompany a water leak. The classic scenario is when the toilet runs briefly due to a small leak. It usually makes a light hissing sound as it runs for a few seconds to refill the tank. Note that this kind of sound may be periodic with long periods between hisses. It isn’t uncommon for people to only notice a leaking toilet tank in the middle of the night because that’s when the house is quiet enough and the period between hisses is sufficient.
Another common sound that comes with water leaks is light tapping. If the bathtub is leaking, you might hear a small tap-tap-tap in the room below. Usually, the tap stops a few minutes after the person who was using the bathtub turns the water off. Notably, there could also be a leak in the drainage system. In that scenario, the leak might not start until they begin draining the tub. Similar issues can occur with sinks.
Smells
Leaking water often promotes mold growth. If there’s a part of the house that smells a little moldy, then there might be a leak. Bear in mind that people often dismiss these smells if they occur in certain places like a basement, attic, or utility closet. However, you should consider the possibility of a leak if you detect musty odors in any room that has pipes, fixtures, or tanks.
Tracing
For a nonprofessional, this trick works best with the toilet. You can perform a trace by putting several drops of food coloring in the toilet’s tank. If you see the coloring slowly appear in the bowl when you haven’t flushed the toilet, then that’s a sign the system is leaking. Typically, the seal for the flapper that regulates flushes is failing. A plumber often can replace the affected components without doing more extensive work.
Fixture Damage
Finally, look for damage around the plumbing fixtures. In areas with high chlorine content in the water, the chemical can damage water faucets. Mineralization may occur around the knobs. Also, the chemical can peel the chrome off the fixtures.
Goettl's High Desert Mechanical is here to help homeowners in Camp Verde, AZ and nearby areas with a host of plumbing and HVAC concerns. We perform installations, maintenance, and repairs, and when the repair is an emergency, we’re available 24/7 to deal with it. If you’re worried about a water leak or something else, call us at Goettl's High Desert Mechanical today to have a professional see what’s happening.
