Where Is the Water Going? Why You Have High Water Bills

water-leakAccording to the US Environmental Protection Agency, a family of four uses 12,000 gallons of water per month on average. Does the amount of gallons your household uses per month fall into this range? An increase in gallons per month may occur because you have guests staying in the house or needing extra water for a gardening project or another water-intensive activity.

But if you see a rise in household water use and you don’t know of any reason why it should happen, it’s often a warning that the water is going nowhere. I.e., it’s leaving the plumbing through leaks. This is, unfortunately, a common problem in modern homes.

Testing for Water Leaks

Aside from seeing the rise in water use on your bills, other signs may indicate leaks in the plumbing: the water heater turning on at odd times, damp or discolored patches on the walls and ceilings, drops in water pressure, and the appearance of mold and mildew. But the quickest way to find out if you have hidden leaks in your house is a basic test with the water meter.

Locate your home’s water meter. Check its reading and write it down. Then stop using water in your house for an hour. Make sure to shut off any water-using appliances, such as an ice-maker in the refrigerator. After an hour, recheck the meter. Has it risen? Then you likely have hidden leaks.

Please don’t ignore the warnings of leaks! It’s not just an issue with higher water prices and water waste. It means damage to your home and the growth of harmful molds.

Leak Detection

The next step is to find out where the leaks are occurring. You may already have some idea if you’ve noticed stains on the walls or ceilings, such as a discoloration on the ceiling beneath an upstairs bathroom. However, you can’t pinpoint the leaks on your own, and many leave no visible signs, such as slab leaks (a water line leak down in the concrete foundation). This is when you call a professional plumber for leak detection in Española, NM.

Finding hidden leaks in a house requires special equipment and training, and only a licensed plumber can do the work. Our plumbers use the best-advanced tools and techniques, including listening discs, thermal scanners, and video pipe inspection equipment. This allows us to find out the extent of the leaks in the house and find their exact locations.

Leak Repairs

Once our plumbers have discovered the leaks’ location, they can plan for how to repair them. Precise locating allows our team to access the pipes with the least disruption to your house. We may need to remove drywall to reach the pipe and cut out the leaking section to replace it—some leaks we can patch. For slab leaks, we may be able to use lateral tools to fix the problem with a bypass of the leaking section—this means we won’t have to do any excavation.

Looking for help with your plumbing? Well, then enlist the help of our plumbing professionals in the following locations:

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Looking for help with your Tampa plumbing? Well, then check out the services offered by our friends over at ACS Home Services! They offer everything from HVAC to plumbing and even electrical. Look them up in the following locations today:

24/7 Emergency ServiceIncluding Holidays
Free EstimatesOn AC or Heating Installations
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