7 Common Signs of a Leak and How Leak Detection Can Help

Worried about a potential leak in your home? Perhaps you’ve just moved into an older property and it’s been a while since the plumbing has been checked over.

It’s useful to know the warning signs of leaking plumbing and pipework. This will help you detect the leak and fix it as soon as possible. Time is of the essence – the sooner you act, the less damage the leak will cause. This means less money spent on putting things right.

Below, we’ll run through the 7 most common signs of a leak, along with how a leak detection expert may be able to help.

1. Water Trickling in the Toilet

Is the toilet continuing to run long after it’s been flushed? It’s not always something you notice straight away, especially if it’s not in the main family bathroom.

But it’s always worth taking a look to see if there is any trickling, dripping, rippling or flowing at the back of the bowl, or inside the cistern. This could indicate a leak.

It might not seem much, but a leaky loo can potentially waste hundreds of litres of water a day.

2. Wet Patches on Walls or Ceilings

If you spot any water stains, marks or wet patches on walls, ceilings or floors, it’s worth seeing what’s on the other side. If it’s a water-using appliance, fixture or pipework, it could be leaking.

Wet patches are a bad sign, as it means that enough water has leaked from a pipe or appliance to have penetrated the wall or ceiling. It’s imperative that you take urgent action to find and fix the leak.

3. A Stale or Musty Odour

Noticed a new damp smell in your home? A musty or stale odour could indicate damp, mould and mildew, which could be developing behind a sink or even under a floor. There can be a few potential causes, but a leak could be one of them.

This kind of leak can be hard to find, so you might need to bring in a leak detection specialist. They can use tools like moisture meters and thermal imaging devices to find leaks that aren’t always visible to the naked eye.

4. Mould or Mildew

The growth of mould or mildew in a corner or on a wall is a sign of damp. It could have another cause, such as rain water ingress from outside, but it’s important to rule out a leak as a source of the excess moisture.

5. Higher Than Normal Water Bills

If you’re billed for your water usage via a water meter, one thing to watch out for is an unexplained increase in your bills. If something is leaking, it means potentially hundreds of litres of extra water being used (and unfortunately wasted). This will inevitably affect how much you pay for water each month. If this happens, you’ll need to take some steps to investigate what’s going on.

6. Dripping Sounds

One of the most obvious signs of a plumbing leak is the sound of dripping or running water. As soon as you notice this kind of sound, you should investigate. It could be something as simple as a tap being left on, or it could be something more serious. If you can’t find a legitimate reason for the dripping, it’s best to call in a leak detection expert to pinpoint the problem.

7. Low Water Pressure

Lastly, there’s low water pressure. This can happen when water is draining out of a leak instead of reaching fixtures like your sink, toilet and shower. If you suddenly notice that the water flow for your morning shower is surprisingly weak one day, it could be a sign of a leak somewhere in the system.