You mean aside from the water dripping under my sink? After all, leaks are pretty easy to spot, right? Actually, quite the opposite is true. While a leak in your bathroom or kitchen might be plain as a day, those sections only make up a very small part of your entire plumbing system. Leaks most often occur behind the walls, floors or ceilings, where you can’t easily see them. But just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean you’re helpless against them.
The Water Meter
This is the simplest, most direct way that you can determine whether or not you have a leak. You first need to turn off all the water-using appliances in your house. With all of the appliances off, that should create a system without any flowing water.
Then, you need to go out and find your water meter. It should have a small dial. If this meter is flowing despite shutting off all your water, then it means you have a leak. Alternatively, you can record the numerical reading on the meter. Come back an hour or two later (without using any water during that time) and see if the number has increased. Again, this indicates a leak.
Once you know you have a leak, you’ll need to call in for plumbing repair in Santa Barbara, CA. In the meantime, you can try locating the leak with the next two tips.
You Can Hear Them
Even if we can’t see the leak, there’s certainly a chance we can hear them. Running water will always make a sound, so all you have to do is listen. Rushing water, dripping, and bubbling are all noises you should be keeping an ear out for.
But make sure there’s no water being used while you’re tracking the leak. A toilet filling its tank or any other appliance using the water at the same time will certainly create these noises and lead you off course.
You Can Smell Them
You can, but we really hope it hasn’t gotten to this point. This would mean that the leak has been there long enough not just to cause water damage, but also to begin fostering the growth of mold. Now we’re dealing with a potential health hazard instead of just a leak.
And don’t just assume that mold would only appear on the ceiling or on the wall. Slab leaks—leaks that come from beneath the concrete slabs of your home—can penetrate the floor beneath carpeted rooms, thus dampening the carpet and introducing the potential for mold.
You Can Feel Them
In the event of a slab leak, you may be able to feel the leak by putting your hand on the floor above it. When a slab leak occurs, the leaking water will soak into the soil above it—and that could end up beneath your kitchen floor. Try feeling the floor to see if any spots feel particularly cold or warm.