Leak-Detection-Plumber

How To Find a Water Leak In Your Home

Sal’s Plumbing, the South Bay’s #1 Plumber for over 30 Years enjoys giving homeowners tips on common plumbing problems.

In most cases the water line running to your home is “metered” for accountability and billing purposes. A leak on your line can be very costly.  Performing some plumbing leak detection can save you from a nasty surprise from your local utility company. If you have been notified that you have a leak, here are a few steps you can do before calling Sal’s Plumbing in Torrance & Redondo. The more you do, the less it will cost you in the long run!

1.  Leak Detection For Your Toilet

Check the toilet for leaks by removing the top off the tank and listening very closely. If you hear any hissing at all, try to locate where it is coming from. If you locate the area where the leak is coming from, assess it and determine if you can fix it. If you can’t, then call Sal’s Plumbing at (310) 692-4183

  • If nothing is noticeable, add some food coloring and put a couple of drops in the tank (not the bowl). Wait several minutes and if you have coloring in the bowl, you have a leak in the flapper at the bottom of the tank that is allowing water to seep through. At this point you can assess if you want to do the repair yourself, or call a plumber.
  • If you have more toilets, go ahead and repeat the process with each toilet to make sure you don’t have more than one problem

 

2. Leak Detection For Your Hot Water Tank

Check the Pressure Relief Valve on the hot water tank. Sometimes these valves are plumbed directly into a drain and may be leaking without your knowledge. If you can’t remove the drain pipe to check for a leak listen for a hissing sound, it may be leaking.

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3.  Leak Detection – Water Meter To House

If the toilets are fine, check the line running from the meter to the house. While this may sound difficult, you can save money if you can locate the leak for the plumber.

  • Locate the shut-off valve by your house, shut it off temporarily and check the meter by removing the lid and watching the dial on top of the meter.
  • Watch the meter to see if is turning. If it is still turning, then the leak is between the meter and the house. That is, unless you have a leaking valve, and this very common with these older bronze gate valves. Then, your leak may also be inside the house.
  •  Walk the area between the meter and the shut-off valve. Look for signs of a leak such as: soft muddy areas, grass that is greener than the rest or growing much faster than other areas. If you see such an obvious sign, call Sal’s Plumbing in Redondo or Torrance if you can’t repair it yourself.  We are happy to help.

Many times a leak can be very hard to locate.  If you try these steps, you have a good shot at finding your plumbing leak. It’s also a valuable exercise because it will help your plumber get the job done quicker. As always please call Sals Plumbing in Torrance or Sals Plumbing in Redondo for your leak detection or any other plumbing problems – (310) 692-4183.