Water leaks can cause numerous problems inside a home or commercial premises, not to mention the grave risk of electrocution if water comes into contact with an electrical supply.
At best, water leaks can lead to time-consuming and stress-inducing clean-up operations. At worst, water leaks can be fatal. And, in the middle, you could have problems such as entire property flooding, slip hazards, mold and mildew, irreparable damage to property and possessions and a contaminated water supply.
While some leaks are fairly easy to spot by yourself, sometimes you’ll need professional help to detect leaks in your home.
Signs of Water Leaks
As well as noticing water where it shouldn’t be, such as seeping through your walls and dripping through your ceilings, there are several more subtle signs of detecting water leaks somewhere in your home. These include:
- Higher-than-normal water bills. Most households use a similar amount of water each month. Unless you know you’ve used a lot more water than normal, such as filling up a swimming pool, and your bill is significantly more, you could have a leak.
- Water meter that runs when the water supply is turned off. You can check this by switching off all water supplies, noting the meter reading and checking the figure again after an hour. If there’s a difference, you likely have a leak.
- Reduced water pressure. Leaks mean less water can flow to where it’s supposed to, which can cause a significant loss of water pressure.
- Mold and mildew. Both mold and mildew need moisture to grow. They could be caused by condensation, spillages and similar, though they could also indicate leaking water somewhere.
- Musty smell. Mold can grow where you cannot see it, though you may notice a musty odor.
- Water stains on walls and ceilings.
- Damaged floors and ceilings. Warped wooden flooring, cracked and raised floor tiles and sagging ceilings can all be caused by water leaks. Pay particular attention to flooring areas around appliances and the ceiling underneath laundry rooms and bathrooms.
- Uneven walls. Water leaks in the walls can lead to wallpaper and paint bubbling, blistering breaking or bulging.
- Dripping noises. Unless you have a dripping tap, hearing dripping noises around your home may suggest a leak, especially if you cannot locate the source of the sound. Other unusual noises, such as the sound of running water (when all water supplies are shut off), hissing, burbling and rattling could also point to a leak.
- Raised paving tiles and lush patches of grass. Outside leaks can nourish vegetation, causing patches to grow more densely and greener than surrounding grass. Water leaks can also cause paving to lift and crack.
If you suspect a leak, don’t delay having it investigated.
Failing to address water leaks early enough is that you’ll likely be faced with greater issues later, including higher repair costs. Relatively small problems can quickly become much bigger concerns. Underground leaks, for example, can affect the foundations of your building, which can lead to structural instability.
Water leak detection services allow you to find and remedy any leaks quickly, which can save you time, effort and money in the longer term.
Hire a Professional For Leak Detection Services
There are several ways that professionals can detect leaks in a property, both from the main water supply and from the sewerage system.
The location of the suspected leak, the depth of pipes and other factors play a role in the best methods used for leak detection. Services may include:
- Listening for unusual noises in the pipes using acoustic devices, including listening discs and ground microphones.
- Using specialized equipment to detect gas in the pipes.
- Using non-invasive thermal imaging cameras to see hot and cold areas to find cracks in pipes. Leaking water causes temperature changes within the flow of water. The sensitive technology can also show patches of moisture in the pipeline.
- Looking into drains and along storm pipes using CCTV camera inspection. Connected to a monitor, the cameras allow a close-up detailed visual inspection of areas that are impossible to see otherwise.
- Checking the water meter.
In addition to having specialist equipment to access places that cannot be viewed in other ways, experienced leak detection companies can also often spot signs of a leak that the untrained eye would usually miss. Their training and expertise make them the best choice for finding water leaks in any residential or commercial building.
Furthermore, leak detection specialists can advise you as to the condition of your pipes, letting you know if you are likely to have issues in the future. This lets you take preventative action and arrange repairs before you actually experience any problematic leaks.
Benefits of Leak Detection
Leak detection services have many benefits, including the obvious plus points of finding spots that need to be repaired and finding areas that could become trouble spots in the near future. Other benefits of leak detection include:
- Results that last. In addition to locating leaks, leak detection specialists will carry out any maintenance works needed to remedy the problems. Repairs will be at a high quality and designed to last.
- Money saved. As already mentioned, untreated water leaks tend to worsen over time. Larger repair jobs cost more than smaller works, thus finding the problem as soon as possible saves you money on repair costs. You will also save money on the costs of repairing possible damage caused by a leak, for example if you need to buy new furniture or redecorate a room.
- Time saved. Smaller problems are usually faster to fix than bigger issues. Plus, there is usually less time needed to clean up after a smaller leak.
Who We Are
In business since 1993, Austest Pipeline Solutions offers high-quality, friendly, reliable and competitive service, using all the latest technology to accurately find and fix leaks.
They offer diverse other services, including backflow testing, drain unblocking and realigning and smoke detection, making them a one-stop shop for all your water-system needs.
For quality leak detection services that you can trust, contact Austest Pipeline Solutions today.