Leak Detection
Perth's southern suburbs plumber is here to detect and fix any leaks in your home.
Leak detection
Does your latest water bill seem unusually high or have you noticed that there’s water running even when the taps are off?
There’s a high chance that your piping system is suffering from a burst or leak somewhere hidden within your property. While leaks can be easy to touch up yourself with some DIY knowledge. Detecting and repairing a burst pipe requires a professional touch too avoid costly mistakes.
Hamilton Plumbing excel in delivering a prompt and seamless leak detection service. Using advanced technology and accumulated experience, our plumbers can pinpoint any leaks within your wall, floor or ceiling. Our plumbers are at the ready to receive your call to be on site quickly to resolve your issue. Why wait any longer?
Our capabilities:
• Bathroom & toilet leak testing
• Acoustic leak detection
• Pipe pressure testing
• Thermal imaging in roof space & wall
• Whole house pressure testing
How to detect a leak
Finding or detecting a leak in your home usually isn’t as simple as seeing a dripping ceiling or a random puddle. In some cases, leaks go unnoticed for long periods of time before being detected. If you suspect a leak in your property, you can conduct a simple test and check these common areas for any signs of a leak.
Basic water leak test
- Turn off all taps and devices using water within your property
- Locate your water meter and check if the indicator is moving
- If the indicator doesn’t show any immediate signs of change, take a meter reading, wait 1 or 2 hours and take another reading. If the reading has changed, you have a leak in your property.
Where to look for signs of a leak
While leaks are often undetectable, there are some signs you can look or listen out for:
- Running water even when all taps are turned off
- An increased water bill over a period of months
- Sudden wet areas on your walls or floors
- Foul odours in your toilet, sink, or taps
Detecting a leak indoors
For toilet leaks, remove the top of the tank and listen for a hissing sound which indicates a leak. Another method is to drop food colouring in the tank and see if it seeps into the toilet bowl.
Inspect your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry for dripping taps or leaking connections, especially between the washing machine and dishwasher. Likewise, you can check areas around the piping for moisture patches or damp areas.
Hot water tanks can also have leaks. Check the hot water valve first, as they are most susceptible to leaks. If it’s not the valve, look around the tank for signs of water marks, or listen for a hissing sound. As these tanks have hot water in them, you will need to contact a professional who knows how to fix the leak with minimal risk.
If you aren’t sure of where or what to look for in a leak, here are some ‘signs of trouble’ to help you detect a leak indoors:
Taps
- Unexplained puddles, damp, or stains under your sink or inside the cabinet.
- The laminate sealing near the sink is loose.
- Faucet base is wobbly and loosening.
- Signs of caulk deteriorating around sink.
Toilets
- Leaking water coming from the base of the toilet.
- Loose tiling or caving in floor.
- Water stains or marks appearing on the ceiling below.
- A toilet that shifts slightly when pushed. This is due to the weakening of the wax seal between toilet and flange.
Drains
- Water stains appear on the floor or ceiling below.
- Tiling or floorboards are loose near the drain.
- Moisture patches in adjoining rooms.
Pipes (Under sink plumbing)
- Damp stains or puddles being formed under the sink or within cabinet.
- Stains on the walls or on the ceiling or floor below the sink.
Detecting a leak outdoors
Check all your outdoor faucets for any damp spots or moist areas. It could be that a puddle is forming from the leak even when there hasn’t been any rain. You can also use a screwdriver and place it against the faucet with your thumb knuckle against the screwdriver. Working like a stethoscope, you will be able to hear the leak in the pipe. Test this against all your outdoor faucets and if the sound gets louder, chances are it is the faucet closest to the leak!
You should also check your irrigation, outdoor water devices, exposed pipes and A/C units for any damage or wet areas caused by the leak. Testing your garden irrigation system regularly is good practice for leak detection. As they often require a lot of water, a leaking irrigation system can become very costly for your property.
If you notice any of these problems, don’t wait hesitate to speak to one of our expert plumbers today. Hamilton Plumbing are Perth’s leak detection experts. We offer a free quote and a competitive price for your plumbing problem during our initial leak detection test.
If you aren’t sure of what or where to look for in a leak, here are some ‘signs of trouble’ to help you detect a leak outdoors:
Sprinklers
- Check irrigation controller for any changes to its programming.
- Inspect the sprinkler valves for any signs of wear or leaks between fittings.
- Flooding around the base of the sprinkler.
- Water spraying between spraying heads will indicate a cracked lateral line.
- Stuttering water spurts at the sprinkler base indicates a broken seal.
- A moist patch formed between grass and sprinklers.
Pools
- Check filter, heater and pipe valves for anything unusual.
- Scan around for wet spots around the pool area.
- Sunken soil or eroded areas near the pool.
Sewage
- Damp spots located around the surface where underground piping is.
- Backing up of sewage because of lowered water pressure.
A/C units & hot water systems
- Wet spots created around the systems when not in use.
- Excess dripping coming from the refrigeration unit.
- Unusual hissing sounds coming from the units.