It can be tough to detect a leak in your home, and when you fail to spot one, it could wind up costing you. A leak will increase your water bill, but it may also result in repair work. Here are a few leak detection tips and when to bring in an expert.
Signs of a Water Leak
Signs of a water leak include noticing that your water bill went up. You may also see a musty odor in your home, new cracks in cement, or a damp spot on the lawn that wasn’t there before. Contact a professional plumbing company if you spot one or more of these water leak signs.
Professional Leak Detection Methods
There are many reasons why leaks develop. This makes it essential to contact a professional plumbing company when you suspect that you have one. A professional will pinpoint the exact cause of the leak to ensure that they complete a proper repair.
Professional plumbers will use leak testing methods like:
• Digital camera inspections
• Air tests using low pressure
• A pneumatic test ball
• Infiltration or exfiltration
• Underground detection
• Pipe smoke
• Pipe deflection
Helping You Avoid Unnecessary Repairs
When you hire a professional plumbing company to locate a water leak, you can avoid unnecessary repairs. Quality plumbers will repair a section of pipe when possible instead of advising you to invest in an entire re-piping of your property. You won’t have to pay for repairs that you don’t need.
Leak detection specialists use pipe location tests to isolate leaks and repair them. With domestic water lines, a professional may use a specialized re-piping process to replace aging pipes that start to leak. Professional plumbers also use trenchless sewer repair to fix drain and sewer lines without damaging your yard.
Common Leak Areas
Common places to experience leaks include the service line that stretches from your home to the meter or pump. This line generally runs underneath the driveway, yard, and other outside spaces. Slab leaks are another common leak area. They form in a home’s hot or cold-water line under the main slab. Leaks also develop in the plumbing that’s in the walls or floors.
Dealing with Mystery Leaks
Leaks cause stress for homeowners. From attempting to find the source of a leak to taking the right repair path, the situation is a nightmare. When you realize that your home has something leaking, it’s important to locate what is leaking.
While leaks are frequently because of a plumbing problem, there are other reasons why you might be seeing water where it shouldn’t be appearing. A professional leak detection company will have specialized equipment to figure out what is leaking and why it is happening. Mystery leaks may be from the roof, windows, or due to problems with tile grout. Excess groundwater may also result in leaks.
Leak Detection Professionals
If there are signs that your home is experiencing a water leak, contact leak detection professionals. That way, you’ll have experts on hand who will find the source of the leak and provide you with repair options.
