According to the Environmental Protection Agency, household leaks can account for nearly 10,000 gallons of water lost every year. If you want to prevent contributing water loss and save up on your water bill, it’s important that you learn how to properly detect leaks in your home. To help you out, the pros at Freedom Air and Heat have prepared a guide on how you can spot a water leak before it wreaks havoc on your home!
1. Use Food Dye for Your Toilet!
Toilet leaks are very common and can lose a great deal of water. However, it is fairly easy to fix a toilet leak, if you find what is causing it. Generally, a worn-out toilet flapper is the reason behind a toilet leak. The flapper is the seal between the toilet tank and bowl. To make sure the flapper is the cause of the leak, pour a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If you notice the dye appear quickly in your bowl, you have a flapper leak. To fix this leak, you can easily get a replacement from your nearest home improvement store.
2. Check for the Signs on Your Walls
If you have leaks in the pipe fittings behind your walls, you’ll want to keep an eye for these signs. These leaks are a lot sneakier so it’ll be a lot harder to detect – but it’s nothing you can’t manage! Look out for the following:
- Musty Smells
If you have crawlspaces and you notice a strong musty odor coming from them, you might have a mold problem, which is often caused by leaks and excess moisture.
- Discoloration on Walls
This is an obvious sign of a leak. If you notice any water stains on your ceilings and walls, especially those of a yellowish color, you are dealing with a sneaky leak.
- Bubbling Paint
Bubbling paint or wallpaper is a sign that the drywall is wet and if left ignored it can cause extensive water damage.
3. Soggy Patches on Lawn
Water lines make their way underneath your lawn as well and if they burst, they can lead to soggy patches on your front lawn. While you think you might get a lush lawn from this, you might get only a few bright patches and a high water bill. If this leak is left ignored, it can cause further damage to your home and even the base of your house.
4. Use Professional Help
Professional maintenance is a great way to spot a leak early on and even troubleshoot it as soon as possible. A plumber has the tools and knowledge to detect and repair a leak in no time.
Any more questions about how you can spot a leak in your home? Get in touch with the pros at Freedom Air and Heat by calling us at 321-631-6886 or schedule a service with us on our website. Our team of experts will be more than happy to help you out!
