Hidden plumbing leaks frequently go under the radar.
Are hidden plumbing leaks in your pipes driving up your monthly water bills? While clogged toilets, burst plumbing pipes, and many other plumbing problems are quite obvious, leaking frequently goes under the radar. According to the EPA, the average home has leaks that waste around 10,000 gallons of water every year. Worse, in about ten percent of households, leaking accounts for up to 90 gallons of water waste each day. Hunt down and repair your hidden plumbing leaks, and you can stop paying for water that you are not using. Here are five ways to identify invisible plumbing leaks in your house.
Go Over Your Monthly Water Usage
Look at your household water usage in the coldest months of the year. As a guideline, a family of four usually uses no more than 12,000 gallons per month – if your usage is far higher, your home probably has some hidden plumbing leaks.
Monitor Your Home’s Water Meter
Record the number on your home’s water meter, then turn off all of your faucets and every water-using appliance in your house for two hours. Look at the meter again. If the reading has changed, you probably have a plumbing leak somewhere in your home.
Inspect Your Plumbing
Visually analyze your pipe fitting and faucet gaskets, looking for moisture or water on the outside. If you see any, leaking is occurring at the fixture or inside the connected plumbing unit. This is an indication of a hidden plumbing leak.
Test Out Your Toilets
Not all toilet leaks are apparent at first glance. To detect unseen leakage, place a few drops of food coloring in your tank. Wait a half an hour (without flushing), then check the water inside your toilet bowl. If it is tined, you have some hidden plumbing leaks.
Look out for Other Warning Signs
A few other clues can point to the existence of some plumbing leaks. For example, you might have leaking if you notice a persistent odor of mildew or mold inside your home or if you notice water stains on your ceilings, floors, or walls. A decrease in your water pressure puddles out in your yard, and foundation cracks are also clear warning signs of leaking.
If you think your home has some hidden plumbing leaks, give Mahon Plumbing a call today! We can help you locate the source of the leak and help fix it in no time.
Call Mahon Plumbing Today
If you still have more questions regarding your plumbing, we here at Mahon Plumbing are here to help. We have been serving the wider Baltimore area since 1994, so we have 25 years of experience to back up our fantastic service! Call us at our Baltimore location at 410-766-8566 or our Pasadena location at 410-636-7944. Be sure to keep up with us on social media by following us on Facebook or Twitter.