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How to Locate Hidden Water Leaks

Sometimes it’s easy to detect a leaking pipe or faucet – whether by sight, sound, or spotting water on the floor or elsewhere it doesn’t belong.  If you’ve ever dealt with a water leak before, you know that early detection is the key to minimizing or avoiding damage.

But what about those water leaks that aren’t so easy to detect, like under concrete floors, behind walls, under your cabinets, and so on?  Those are the ones you need to be most concerned about.

So, to help you prevent or minimize damage resulting from pipe leaks in your home, be on the lookout for any of these leading indicators of a hidden water leak:

• Water bills that seem unusually high
• Water meter readings changing even when no water is being used
• Chronic sewer backup problems
• Running toilets
• Running water sounds when no faucets or water-using appliances are in use
• Spongy, soft, or discolored walls
• Musty odors from floors, walls near drains, or sewers
• Cracked or an unusually damp foundation or slab
• Warm areas on concrete floors, mildew, or excessive moisture under carpets
• Unusually wet or moist areas in your yard when the rest of the yard is dry

Here are a few other things you can do to protect your home and conserve water:

Grab some food coloring. Toilets can account for up to 30 percent of your water use, so you should check to ensure they’re running properly. To test for leaks, add a few drops of food coloring to your toilet tank and wait 10 minutes. If the color shows up in your bowl, then you have a leak allowing water to flow from the tank to your drain without ever flushing the bowl.

A sudden drop in water pressure. If you notice a drop in water pressure when you’re filling the bath or taking a shower, this could be a sign of a leak. You can check by turning off all your fixtures then turning one back on.  If the pressure is higher than it was, it’s probably a leak.

Look for mold. Hidden water leaks are difficult to spot but their telltale signs are not. If, for example, you see unusual color changes in the house paint, the floor, walls, or ceiling, it could indicate the growth of mold. Check the back of your bathroom and kitchen cabinets, under sinks and drains regularly. The foul smells are signs of mold growth. Visit your attic to detect roof leaks.

If you discover anything that makes you suspect a water leak, contact Messmer Mechanical for fast and reliable service.  For starters, we have high-tech electronic leak detectors that enable us to pinpoint the source and extent of the problem without digging into walls or under floors.  Once the problem has been diagnosed, we’ll recommend the right course of action to make things right again.