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Early detection of water leaks is essential to mitigating property damage. It can also save you a considerable amount of money depending on the extensiveness of the leak. There are several signs to look for to help you determine whether your home has a water leak. Such signs include inspecting the hot water tank, checking your water meter, and looking for toilet leaks. In this blog post, we’re going to take a close look at the signs of water leaks and how to check for them.
Where to Look For Water Leaks in Your Home
Inspect the Hot Water Tank
There’s nothing better than having hot water when you take a shower, wash the dishes, or do a load of laundry. If the hot water tank leaks water, though, you’ll quickly notice you don’t have enough hot water to do all of these tasks. To check whether you have a leak coming from the hot water tank, a plumber can check the tank’s valves that are plumbed directly to the drain. Not all hot water tanks are plumbed this way, but a lot of them are. If you can’t contact a plumber to check the valves, you can listen around the hot water tank for a hissing noise as this is a sign of a water leak.
Check the Meter Line
You can save a considerable amount of money if you can detect the location of a meter line leak. This way, the plumber doesn’t have to spend time finding the leak, which means you save money. If there is a shut-off valve by your house, you should turn it off temporarily and remove the lid off the meter and then watch the dial. If it’s turning even though you have the shut-off valve turned off, then this means you have a water leak. You will then want to walk the area between the shut-off valve and the meter. Look for spots that are soft, muddy, or greener than the rest of the surrounding area. Once you locate one of these spots, this is likely where the leak is at. On the other hand, if the shut-off valve is turned off and the dial isn’t turning, then this means your water leak is somewhere in the house.
Look for Toilet Leaks
You can check the toilets for leaks by removing their tops and listening for a hissing noise. Whatever spot on the toilet where the hissing noise is coming from, this is where the leak is at. If you don’t notice a hissing noise, try putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Don’t put food coloring in the bowl. Wait a few minutes, and do not flush the toilet. If the food coloring starts leaking down into the bowl, then this probably means there is a leak in the flapper. If you know how to repair a flapper on a toilet, you can potentially fix the leak yourself. If you don’t know how to repair or replace a flapper, then you should definitely call a plumber. You should check all toilets in your home periodically for leaks.
Fixing water leaks is very important to keeping water damage to a minimum. For help on minimizing water damage, contact Zona Restoration now.