Leak repair in San Antonio TX is one of those services that reminds most people of life insurance. They’re glad it’s there, but they hope they never have to use it.
While a qualified plumber can be a real lifesaver, the ideal is to prevent the need for his or her services in the first place. One way to do that is to stay alert for potential plumbing problems while they’re still easy to remedy.
With that in mind, here are 10 tips for detecting household leaks:
- Keep an eye on your water bill: Be wary of any unexplained spikes, as these may indicate that your plumbing system has sprung a leak somewhere.
- Monitor your water meter: Turn off all the faucets in your house, shut down the water supply to your washer, and check the reading on your meter. Leave the water off and check the meter again in about an hour. If there’s a change, then it’s time to look into leak repair in San Antonio TX.
- Watch your lawn: We all want our grass to be as lush and green as possible. But patches that seem unusually robust are a good indicator of an underground leak.
- Look underneath your cabinets: Especially in bathrooms, the kitchen, and the washroom. If you spot pools of water, then it’s time to investigate further.
- Use your nose: Sometimes the best way to detect a leak is to sniff around for a musty odor. If the smell is present, then you may have trouble.
- Watch your walls: Water damage often shows up as a bulge or discoloration in your wallboards. It may also appear as a dark spot in your ceiling. Get help right away; otherwise your walls or ceiling may collapse.
- Take a listen: Turn off all sources of artificial noise in your home, close the windows, open your interior doors, and check for the sound of dripping water. You may need to walk quietly around your residence to detect the telltale sound.
- Use colored dye in your toilets: A few drops of food dye in your toilet’s tank can reveal whether the flapper is cracked or leaking. It will show up within minutes as a discoloration in the toilet bowl itself. Fortunately, replacing a flapper is an easy DIY job.
- Look behind your washer: Pay special attention to the hoses, especially where they screw into the appliance itself or the wall spigot. Leaks or bulges indicate a failing hose, which is fairly easy for most DIYers to replace.
- Invest in a low-cost water detector: You’ll find these online and at many home improvement centers. They give off a shrill squeal as soon as H2O touches their built-in sensor. They’re especially useful for detecting leaks around your water heater.
By putting these tips into practice, you’ll boost your chances of catching leaking water before it turns into a house-destroying flood. Best wishes and keep thinking dry thoughts.
