Plumbing leaks are the last thing you want to find in your home. However, they aren’t necessarily always that easy to spot. There are of course some obvious signs of when there is a plumbing leak in your house, but sometimes things require a slightly closer inspection. Furthermore, plumbing leaks can sometimes be costly to repair, but the sooner you notice the leak and contact a professional plumber to get it repaired, usually the smaller the job and as a result, the lower the cost. Therefore, being able to spot a leak early on can be very beneficial and save you lots of money as well as hassle. 

We wanted to explain a few ways to know if your plumbing is leaking and some things that you can look out for…

 

Splash leaks

We often find that splash leaks are actually the most common type of plumbing leaks. This is basically when the water from a bath or shower is able to escape and run outside of the bath. This can lead to severe and costly damage to your bathroom flooring if you’re not careful. This tends to happen if for example you have a damaged shower curtain, or the seal on your shower door/glass is broken, as these are the things in place to prevent any water escaping outside of the bath or shower. 

You may not necessarily notice this when you are using the bath or shower as it is not immediately obvious. However signs may show in the damage of your bathroom flooring, or if there is a lot of water, this can actually show through onto the ceiling underneath as patches of water and dampness. On the other hand, it may be clear if you see puddles of water on the floor afterwards. If you notice anything like this, try to have a look for any obvious damage. In the meantime of getting this prepared and solving the problem, try to put you own temporary measures in place to stop these leaks from happening.

 

Leaking pipes

Leaking pipes can be a more complicated part of plumbing, often with bigger risks and consequences. Furthermore, signs of leaking pipes aren’t always immediately obvious, and so knowing what to look out for and what you should be suspicious of is a good way to catch a leak sooner rather than later. If you have any leaking pipes in your home, something that you may notice over time is a significant increase to your water bills. If there is an unexplained rise in cost, you may want to consider getting this investigated as it could be because there is a leak somewhere in your pipes and therefore more water is being used and wasted. Not only is this an inconvenience and potentially dangerous to your property, but it also takes an impact on your money when the bills are higher, so it is best to get this checked as soon as possible. 

Another sign of leaking pipes, is if you notice patches of water, which could either be gathered somewhere in your home, such as on the floor, or perhaps coming through walls or ceilings. This often indicates that the leak is pretty severe, and so as soon as you notice anything like this you must call for a plumber. 

Another visible indication of leaking pipes, is mold and mildew. If you start to notice this in any areas of your home, it could be a result of a leak somewhere in the piping system. Although it is normal to get mold and mildew in your home, even if it is spotless, it isn’t common to get it on walls, ceilings or floors unless this is due to leaking pipes. 

 

Sink leaks

Sink leaks are a more problematic plumbing issue, as it can lead to severe and costly damage to the surrounding areas, like your kitchen tops for example. Kitchen tops aren’t necessarily always made of the most water-friendly materials, and too much water can cause a lot of damage. Signs of these sort of leaks are often visually easy to notice, as it will result in water seeping from the base of the tap. Furthermore, if this has been leaking out you will notice it from dampness and excess water on your kitchen tops.

For more information and advice or if you would like to speak to us about any plumbing leaking, simply get in touch with us via our contact page and we will be more than happy to help.