Florida’s hurricanes are not the only things that can cause your home to sustain water damage. Water leaks are another source of water damage especially if they are allowed to persist. Water damage can destroy the integrity of your home as you will contend with problems such as rotting wood, mold and an eroding foundation. While you have no control over the hurricanes that hit Florida, you can certainly do your part in minimizing water damage via leak detection. To be proactive, try to follow the below five leak detection tips.

1. Be Sure to Check Your Toilets Regularly

Toilets use a large amount of water as they are in use throughout the day by you and various members of your household. When toilets leak, they use even more water. To check your toilets for leaks, take the lids off the toilet tanks and listen for sounds of hissing. If you hear hissing sounds, listen carefully to see where the leaks are located. If you do not hear hissing sounds, pour a couple of drops of red food coloring into the back of your toilet tanks and keep careful watch to see if any red coloring appears in the toilet bowls. If you see any red coloring in your toilet bowls, this means your flappers need to be replaced.

2. Take a Good Look at Your Outside Hoses

You also want to check your hose bibs for leaks. Your hose bibs are located outside of your home, and you will usually have one hose bib near the front door of your home and another near the back. To check your hose bibs for leaks, put the metal tip of a screwdriver on the metal part of your hose bib, and then you put your ear to your thumb’s knuckle that is positioned at the other end of the screwdriver. If there is a silent leak happening, you will be able to hear this as this method acts as a stethoscope. Also, if there are visible leaks, you will be able to see that your hose bibs are wet.

3. Check Your Hot Water Tank

In addition to checking your toilets and your hose bibs, you must check your hot water tank. There are a few ways you can check your hot water tank for leaks. You can see if there is water pooling around the bottom of your hot water tank. If you see pooling water, this means you have a leak. You can also check if water is dripping from your pressure valve, and you can check your discharge tube to see if there is any moisture.

4. Examine Your Water Meter Line

Giving your water meter line a thorough examination will let you know if there are any leaks present between your water meter and your home. To check your water meter, shut off your water at the main valve. Once you shut off your water, go outside and remove the lid from your water meter. If there is any dirt covering the dial, brush it away. When the dial is completely visible, check to see if it is still moving. If your dial is still turning even though your water has been shut off, this means you have a leak.

5. Look at Other Leak Points

Aside from the leak points mentioned here, there are numerous others in your home you must check. See if water is leaking from your faucets, shower heads and other appliances.

If you believe you have a water leak, you cannot afford to waste any time. Leak detection is not always cut and dry since there are silent leaks that require the use of special tools to be detected. Contact Leak1 Miami, and we will perform a thorough examination of your home and its plumbing system to stop water leaks in their tracks.