Interiors

How to Detect a Water Line Leak?

According to a report by the US Environment Protection Agency, taps dripping at the rate of one drop a second waste over 3,000 gallons of water. Homeowners with such leaky faucets pay for an extra shower every two days. However, leakage in the water lines results in even worse problems like mold and plumbing emergencies.

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In Wilmette, a plumber can help fix leaks in your water line with 24 hour emergency services being offered by professional teams such as Mike’s Chicago Plumbing Services.

Check your water meter

Most Chicago residents have water meters nowadays. The first step in checking if there is a water line leak is to check the water meter. If the dial on the meter is moving even though the water valve is turned off, you have a water leak. Water meters can be different, but most of them have dials to check leaks.

Check the area between the shut-off valve and the meter. Signs of leak include damp, muddy areas, patches of grass greener than others or those growing faster. If you see any such signs, waste no time and call an emergency plumber that operates for 24 hours in Chicago.

Knowing Whether the Main Line Has a Leak

The first and the most evident sign of a leak in the main line is a rumbling sound in the pipes inside the house. You can notice this at night when there isn’t a lot of noise. To check the same, close the main control valve in the house (not the valve on the street side). Now open a plumbing fixture both on the top floor and the basement. The final step is to listen from as close to its exit from the house as possible. You can use specialty listening devices as well, or call professional plumbing service in Wilmette.

Check Leaks Under Your Floor

These are probably the toughest leaks to detect. The first step in checking whether there is a leak under a basement floor/slab is to check whether the meter is spinning when no water is being used, say the experts at Mike’s Chicago Plumbing Services. The next step would be to check if you have a running toilet. Place a little food/clothing dye in the toilet tank and wait for 10 minutes. If the dye is still present, you have a running toilet.

Now close the main water line control valve and drain out the plumbing. Wait for 10 minutes and then listen to the water main. If the sound is of running water that gradually decreases, and goes away after closing the main control valve, you have a leak in a pipe under the slab.

Detecting if the House Sewer is Leaking

Some homeowners often mistake a leaky sewer joint for a leak in the main line. Leaking sewer joints close to the foundation wall will result in water on the basement floor. To check for a leak in the house sewer, perform a sewer dye test. Remove the cap from the trap on the house side. Now place a little clothing dye inside the trap and flush a toilet so that the dye can be drained down the sewer. After waiting for an hour, if you find the dye on the foundation wall or basement floor, it indicates a leak in the house sewer.

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