How to Find a Water Leak in Your House
Water leak may cause detrimental problems when occurring in a house. They may involve huge water bills catering for wasted water and other damages including health problems weakening of a house foundation. Well, Searching for a water leak can be a very tedious activity especially for those people that have no knowledge on plumbing positioning. All you need to know is that many plumbers can never search for the leaks. And if you force them to do so, they will charge you dearly on the same. The main source of the water leaks in your house includes the kitchen and the toilet. It is therefore necessary to investigate leaks in hot water tanks, toilets, meter line, and the hose bibs.
Below are a few ways that can help you in discovering important tips on how to find water leak in your house;
Hot water tanks leak detection
Pressure relief valve is the main source of leakage from the hot water tank. Leakage from those valves that connect directly to a drain may go unnoticed for a long time. A time one may remove the drain to check for a leakage. A leaking pipe will produce a hissing sound hence an easy way of detecting a leaking pipe.
Detecting water leak in a toilet
Listen keenly to any hissing sound from the toilet immediately you remove the top off the tank. Trace the point from which the hissing sound is produced and try to fix the leak. It is advisable to contact a plumber in case you know that you cannot fix the problem as required.
What do you do if the toilet leak is not noticeable?
Add food color in the tank and wait for the coloring to appear in the bowl. Coloring in the bowl is an indication of a leak in the bottom of the tank hence a leak causing seeping of water. In case of houses with more than one toilet, a repetition of the same procedure should be done in all the toilets to ensure that none of them is defective.
Detecting leaks along the line connecting a meter to the house
Start by temporarily stopping the shut off valve by the house if any. Ensure the meter head is clearly visible by removing any dirt that may be covering it. Remove the lid to find out whether the meter dial is turning. A meter turning is a sign of leakage inside the house. However, if the meter is not turning, then the leaking could somewhere along the meter line to the house. This will happen in case the valve is leaking. All you need to identify the exact point of leakage is to look for such signs as much greener grass at some part than the other or some soft muddy areas.
Identifying hose bibs leaks
Joining the screw driver metal tip to the hose bib metal part will allow any sound in the hose bib to travel to your ear drum. Use a marker to mark any hose bib from which a sound is emitted and its intensity. The hose bib with the loudest sound is an indication that it is much closer to the leaking unit. The same procedure with a screw driver should be repeated for the hot water tanks, shower valves, sink faucets and the washer.
Conclusion
How to find a water leak in your house can be tedious if you do not follow the above mentioned steps as discussed. Be careful therefore not to miss a leak and cause the damages you are determined to avoid. Upon doing the exercise, you will realize that it is easy to locate the approximate locations. In conclusion, finding a water leak to your house is a key to avoid extra expenses that may result from such leaking.