An undetected leak can lead to a significant increase in your water bill. Moreover, it will also create severe damage to your home. Thus, spotting early signs of a leak will surely help you to get it found and fixed early, before the problem aggravates. As much as water is an important resource for our daily life, it can fast become the enemy if it goes where it shouldn’t, potentially damaging not only home’s structure but also our furnishings.
Not all leaks are noticeable; in fact, they can be very insidious, making it imperative to catch and fix any leak as soon as possible. Therefore, it’s vital that every homeowner should know how to pinpoint a water leak, so read on for wise advice on knowing how to detect a potential leak problem and likewise how to locate it, so you can nip the plumbing problem in the bud.
Checking your water consumption through wsc.com.mt
A great place to determine if you have a water leak is by monitoring your water consumption by visiting www.wsc.com.mt, and then continues onto the section ‘View Live Map’. This section shows you your monthly, weekly, and even hourly water consumption. If the graph shows a constant level of water consumption, even at night, than you definitely have a leak somewhere. No doubt, this practice is much more accurate than checking your water meter regularly for consumption thresholds.
A sudden spike in consumption could mean that you’ve sprung a leak. Lets not forget that leaks waste a needlessly large amount of water, which can result in high bills and should be seen to as quickly as possible.
Reading your water meter at night
Alternatively, another way of inspecting for a leak is by taking a water meter reading at night, before you go to bed. The next morning, check it again. If there’s a significant difference, then that means that there was a leak during the night and water was wasted. Also, as part of the Water Services Corporation’s strategy to curb potential water loss through regular automated monitoring, customers with abnormal water consumption are being alerted via SMS / letter and advised to take immediate action
A leaking flushing can be the cause for your water leakage
The most common cause of sudden higher water consumption rates is a leaking flushing. Toilets can account for up to 30% of a home’s water use so it’s important to check to see if they are running properly. Push button cisterns tend to overflow into the bowl. These leaks are not easy to spot, so they can waste a lot of water. To check, put some food colouring in the cistern. If coloured water leaks into your bowl, then you have a leak. Any dripping taps or showerheads should be seen to right away.
Other plumbing leaks inside your home
Is your water heater constantly active? This could mean that there’s a leak on your hot water piping system. Check your kitchen faucet too and remember external taps on terraces or in your garden. You can also have a look behind your dishwasher and washing machine. A quick check might show obvious signs of a leak. Also, check your overflow from your water tank. Is water dripping out of your overflow pipes? Should your stopcock be adjusted or changed? If you haven’t spotted any obvious leak inside the house then it could be your water supply pipe. This connects your home to the water meter. To check if your supply pipe is leaking, turn off your internal stop tap near your meter, so that no water reaches inside the house. If your meter is still turning, then the leak could be buried within your property walls, or underground. In such case, the best advice would be to engage a private plumber who is capable of repairing the leak.
If your home is 25 years or older, it’s normal to expect that your home is on the declining side of its life expectancy. Take advantage of the equipment, technology, and the trained senses of an expert to conduct a comprehensive inspection. If you suspect you have a leak in your plumbing system, don’t hesitate to call the professionals to give you the best possible advice.
If you have no time for this…at least read your bill
If for some reason or another, you don’t have time to check or monitor your water meter, than its important to view your water bill attentively. If your bill has significantly increased but your habits haven’t changed, this could mean you have a leak. Gather a few bills from the recent past few months and compare them to see if there is indeed a steady increase. Your water bill should remain within the same range from month to month.
Water leaks are a big irritation that at times can be problematic to identify, causing expensive repair costs and higher water bills. Nowadays, there are simple things you can do to help you locate the source of a water leak in and around your home. Anyone interested in learning more about their water consumption and that his/her residence are not experiencing any water leaks, visit the water.org.mt website.
This is another informative article, which is being published by The Energy and Water Agency, as part of the ‘Water – Be The Change’ national campaign, to increase the existing awareness on the sustainable and efficient use of our water resources.
