A regular check of your homes plumbing could allow you to detect early signs of costly faults, such as blocked or leaking pipes. Professional engineers are able to carry out these examinations upon request but knowing the steps to take yourself could allow you to keep on top of your plumbing with regular examinations, as well as allowing you to explore if you think there may be a hidden leak within your property.
If you do find that there is a hidden leak within your plumbing system whilst running the following checks, you should call for a professional to repair or replace the required parts safely.
Observe your water bill
If you are running regular checks, a factor you should consider observing is your water usage bill. Although it may not be useful if you are suspicious of a current leak, it will signal if you have ‘used’ more water over the last month or two, pointing you towards a possible slow leak. Gather the last five statements and assess the full costs of each. If you notice a steady rise in costs each month, it could point you towards hidden leak and you could benefit from a professional assessment.
Check your water meter
One of the simplest ways to assess for a hidden leak within your plumbing is to check your water meter. This should be found either under a small plastic lid on or infront of your driveway, or under your kitchen sink. After shutting off all water appliances within your home, including dishwashers and washing machines, check to see if the meter continues to show signs of water usage. Immediate signs of an increasing meter will signify that you have a fast-moving leak, but slow leaks may take around two hours to appear on the dial. If you are suspicious of a leak, it will be worth keeping your water off for the next couple of hours before checking again.
Tint your toilet bowl
This next check will require a small amount of food colouring, allowing you to safely check the flow path of the water within your toilet tank – one of the main culprits for unnoticed leaks. Add a small amount of colouring to the water in your toilet tank and leave it to settle for around 10 minutes. Once this time is up, take a look into the toilet bowl. If you notice a flow of tinted water in the bowl itself without having flushed the chain, there could be a leak which requires a professional repair.
Check your outside water appliances
If you utilise a property with outdoor taps and hosepipes, it is worth running a check on these too. It is easy to forget about appliances outside of the home, but these could just as easily be causing silent rises in your water usage costs. After checking for water drips or puddles below the tap whilst it is turned off, attach a hosepipe and slowly turn the water on. Pay close attention to the seal between the tap and the hose gasket as you may have a sealant leak which will be visible at this point. When we turn our backs to activate our sprinkler or water our plants, we can remain unaware of any water leaking between the two, wasting water with each minute that passes. If you notice this occurring, you will need to invest in a new rubber hose gasket to fix the sealant leak and save your water.
Here at Platinum Plumbers, we are on hand to aid homes with a range of plumbing issues, from annual assessments and boiler installations to the detection and repair of leaks. Get in touch with a member of our team by calling 020 8855 0361 or emailing to find out more about any of our services.
