Leaks in your plumbing can be disastrous for your home. Water damage can cause many problems, including rot deep within subfloors and other critical structures of your home. And while you may have a pretty clear idea of what a plumbing leak looks like if you’re able to see it, there are many times when leaks occur in places that are out of view.
How can you tell if your plumbing has sprung a sneaky leak where you can’t easily spot it? Here are seven signs that indicate that a leak is present, even if you haven’t found the source yet.
1: Increased Water Bills
If there’s a leak, there’s water flowing out when you don’t want it to, and you’re going to have to pay for it. If your water bill has been rising even though you haven’t filled any swimming pools lately, a leak is a likely culprit. You can even check your daily use on your water meter for more detailed data.
2: Visible Water Damage
Even if the leaky pipe itself is out of sight, the water may be making its way into places you can access. Damp or warm patches on walls or floors, swelling of wood structures, discolored patches on drywall, or bubbled surfaces on painted areas indicate a moisture problem.
3: Mold Growth
Does your house seem more humid than it used to? Humidity helps things grow, including mold. A leak can cause such a humid environment that mold grows in your home. If there’s a strong smell of mildew, you might not have spotted the mold yet, but it’s somewhere.
4: Cracked Foundations
It’s normal for homes to settle, and for superficial cracks to develop in your foundation over the decades. But sudden or extensive cracking is cause for serious concern. Leaks that occur in pipes under your foundation, called slab leaks, can cause the concrete to expand and contract, which leads to cracking.
5: Trickling
When no faucets or showers, washing machines or dishwashers are running, you should not hear water trickling in your home. If you do, it’s important to reach out to a plumber in Green Valley, AZ who can get to the bottom of the situation. The sound is coming from somewhere, which means that water is going somewhere. The sooner it’s found, the less damage it will cause.
6: Water Heater Problems
If your water heater is suddenly struggling to keep up with household hot water use, or you hear it turning on when no water is being called for, it’s possible that there is a leak in a hot water line somewhere in your home. Because this means you are wasting both water and heating fuel, this can lead to significant utility expenses, so you’ll want to resolve it promptly.
7: Low Pressure
If a leak is severe enough that you no longer have adequate water pressure coming through your faucets, the problem is serious, and you need a plumber right away.
Contact Picture Rocks Cooling, Heating & Plumbing today to schedule an appointment with our professionals.