It’s always a good idea to check your home’s pressurized water system for leaks on a periodic basis. Unwanted water leaks left uncorrected can lead to higher water bills, potentially higher energy bills and increased risk of damage & ultimate repair costs. Here is a process you might find helpful;
1st – turn everything in the house off and check the leak indicator on your water meter. It will have a star or a triangle and will be turning if any amount of water is flowing through your meter. Digital meters are also easy to check. They are activated by light (usually a flash light) and will indicate a “flow rate”. If a leak is present, the flow rate will indicate some numerical value that is higher than zero. If your meter is anything different, please give us a call. We can certainly explain how to check any other meter types and appreciate all opportunities to provide helpful assistance! If you have a well without a meter and need additional assistance, we can pressure test using air if needed….just give a call.
2nd – If a leak is present however viewed at the meter as a small leak, shut off the water supply to each toilet and re-check the meter. Many times, small leaks can be attributed to a slow or slightly running toilet!
3rd – If the leak is still present (large or small), locate the shut off valve at the house and turn it off. If your house is equipped with a shut off valve, it can be located near the foundation under a utility lid where the supply enters the house, in the garage or even in the form of an oddly placed faucet handle on a wall of the garage or an inside closet. where ever it is located, turning it off and re-checking the meter will help you to determine if the leak is underground in the supply line or under the house (crawl space or slab foundation).
4th – If the meter is still moving (indicating a leak) with the shut off at the house turned off, the next place to check is the irrigation system. It will have a backflow preventer (usually under a utility lid) and if it is not turned off turn it off and re-check the meter. If the meter stops, this will indicate that you have a leak somewhere in the pressurized portion of the irrigation system.
5th – Back to #3 if the leak was determined to be under the house, if your electric or gas bill is also higher than normal, turn off the intake valve to your hot water tank (s) and re-check the meter. Higher than normal energy bills can be a clue that you have a water leak in your hot water system. If this is true, by turning off the hot water intake valve and re-checking the meter, you might find that the meter is no longer indicating a leak (unless you turn the water supply to the hot water tank back on).
With the above, you can in most cases not only determine if you have a water leak, you can also determine what part of the system the leak is located. If pinpointing the leak for repair proves to be entirely different challenge, a Leak Detection Professional can pin point its exact location offering minimal disruption to your home or landscape…..not to mention potential cost savings of an entire pipe replacement or aimless guessing with a jack hammer or shovel.
Simply Leak Detection is highly trained & well equipped with the best technologies from several leading manufactures to pin point any leak on your property. Please freely give a call for additional tips & advice or to schedule service. We take great pride in providing exceptional service & Guarantee our work! We appreciate all opportunities to provide assistance!
Michael Fend
Simply Leak Detection
360-907-0767
