If you suspect you have a waterline leak, knowing the signs to look for can prevent more costly damage from occurring in your home. Hidden leaks can be slow and difficult to locate, and yet can total on average the loss of 11,000 gallons of water or more a year. Use the following tips to verify and locate your leak. If you have a hidden leak a Benjamin Franklin plumber will provide Houston Leak Detection services to locate the leak, and provide prompt, professional water line repair in Houston for your home.

When a hidden leak is involved, the first sign the homeowner may notice is a higher than normal water bill. If your water bill increases without reason, and stays up you probably have a hidden leak. However, it isn’t advisable to wait for an additional month’s bill where potential leaks are concerned. Significant damage to your home can occur in less than that time without water line repair in Houston.

There is a simple solution to verify if you have a leak or not. The water meter contains a dial, or other reading of the amount of water that has passed through the meter. First, select a time when no one is at home to use water. Ensure the icemaker, dishwasher, sprinklers or any other water outlets are off. Record all the numbers displayed on the water meter. Recheck in 30 minutes, if the dial hasn’t moved, check it again after an hour of the first reading. If it hasn’t moved you don’t have a leak. If it has moved and no water has been used, you have a leak that will require water line repair in Houston.

Signs of a Water Leak

If there is a pipe leaking inside a wall there may be mold or dampness present. Mold and mildew can cause odors. An increase in allergies and respiratory illness can be a sign of mold behind a wall where it’s unseen. If mold and mildew are present the leak should be promptly repaired, as mold is detrimental to your health.

Sheetrock walls may be soggy or damaged. Check at the bottom where water will collect for softness, dampness mold or mildew. Floor damage may have also occurred. Tile and grout may have cracked, a wood and linoleum floors may have turned dark and look dirty.

Cautiously place the partial weight of one foot on the floor at the intersection between wall and floor, If it gives with weight it’s likely damaged.

Walls, ceilings and floors can sag from water damage and should always be investigated when noted.

While other causes are possible, leaks may cause a musty odor due to standing water. If your leak remains hidden, it’s time to call a Houston plumber for leak detection and water line repair in Houston.

Water on the floor can indicate a waterline leak. Routinely check the walls, floor and water heater itself for leakage.

The noise of running water may be heard at the location of the leak, or at the point where water enters your house. For example, a busted water line on an outdoor faucet located close to the dryer’s indoor location may be heard when you bend to remove clothes from the dryer.

The loss of water pressure can indicate a water leak. Not all leaks will result in a loss of water pressure, and the loss of water pressure is not necessarily due to a leak. However, it can be a sign of a leak and should be checked by a professional Houston plumber.

Indoors or out, a common sign of a water leak is a stream of water, or the pooling of water. It may be in your home, at the homes foundation or within the basement, on the lawn or running into the street. The presence of water pooling on your lawn or in the street is not necessarily coming from your plumbing. Water may be draining onto your property from a neighbor’s home.

Grass that is greener than normal in areas of the lawn where water line is present may indicate a water line leak. In addition, the soil in these areas may be softer than other areas of the lawn.

When a leak occurs under a slab you may note warm spots on the floor, cracking tile, stains on linoleum or wood, water pooling on the floor, or water damage to walls and baseboards. Prompt water line repair in Houston is imperative to prevent damage to your home and your home’s foundation with a slab leak, or leak in or near the home’s foundation.

How to Handle a Water Leak

First, if the leak is in an exposed water supply line, close the shut off valve at the location. If there is no shut off valve, or if the valve is faulty, shut the water off at your water main, or the meter. Next, call a professional plumber to provide for your homes water line repair in Houston.

If water is in your home clean it up with a mop, towels or shop vacuum depending upon the amount of water. Please note, do NOT use a shop vacuum in standing water as electrical shock may occur. If you can safely remove the water, open windows to promote drying, and position fans to begin the drying process while you await water line repair in Houston.

As water can cause significant and costly damage to your home, don’t delay receiving water line repair in Houston. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Rosenberg will promptly take care of your leak. We understand that plumbing emergencies rarely occur at convenient times, and this is why we provide 24 hour emergency plumbing services. Give us a call for an emergency plumber!