Uncover Hidden Leaks: Protect Your Home and Save Money with Expert Detection

While finding leaks in your faucet or exposed pipes may be easy enough to do, what happens if one of the pipes in your wall cracks? It could take months of heightened water bills and property damage before you realize the scope of the problem in front of you.

Finding a wet spot in your home is also not quite enough to understand the true scope of the leak. Water can come from broken sewers, water supply tubes, faulty caulking around showers, human error, and even the sky, so the finding the source of the leak is key. Discovering leaks may be easy, but a lot of times leaks aren’t in easily seen places. In fact, a lot of plumbing is hidden behind walls, meaning it would be incredibly difficult to detect without the right tools or training.

Seeing signs of leaks appear throughout your home is a problem you can’t ignore. Even if it’s something small like a pinhole leak, this issue will exponentially grow the more you ignore it. Cali’s Choice’s team has the necessary equipment to directly locate and take care of any leaks that may spring up throughout your house. Our plumbers also have the expertise to diagnose a wide variety of leaks, from cracked pipes to leaks in your appliances.

The average water damage insurance claim is a whopping $10,234. Calling a professional at the first signs of leaks is the best way to ensure you stop the plumbing damage on your home before the issue grows out of proportion, saving you a lot of time, headache, and money in the long run.

What Causes Leaks?

While they can have a wide array of causes, the leaking water is caused by some kind of damage to the system. What the damage is caused by may affect the location of the leak. Some sources include extreme pressure differences, water hammer, and corrosion from years of use.

Water Hammer

Water hammer is a surge of pressure in the pipes, caused by the water in the pipes stopping or changing directions rapidly. Whenever you open the faucet to wash your hands or rinse off your toothbrush, water is rapidly pushed through the pipes and out of the faucet. When you turn off the water, all that forward momentum suddenly comes to a stop, causing a dramatic momentum shift that can sometimes be heard through the walls. If you’ve heard banging or rattling throughout your copper pipes, you’ve likely experienced water hammer.

Due to the rapid change in pressure, water hammer can cause damage to your pipes. Severe water hammer can cause fittings and valves to fail, but it can also batter away at your pipes over a long time, leading to pinhole leaks.

Extreme Temperatures

Your pipes can be affected by cold temperatures. Water freezing inside your pipes will expand, which will cause a major increase in pressure. This pressure can cause copper and steel pipes to crack, or even burst. Extreme heat can also cause metal and PVC pipes to experience thermal expansion, which damages joints, seals, and fittings, making them more prone to burst.

Corroded Plumbing

It should be no surprise that your pipes age, they will naturally corrode, becoming a bit weaker. Many metals, like galvanized steel and iron, are susceptible to rust. These corroded parts of your pipes are likely to sprouting pinhole leaks and are also at higher risk of other damage. If this damage goes unaddressed for long, like if it springs up in a basement, guest house, or behind a wall, these tiny leaks can cause an incredible amount of damage. Getting a leak detection system will help you identify these leaks as they happen, saving you a lot of money in repairs.

Signs Of A Water Leak

While leaky faucets, showerheads, or toilets may be very easy to find, there are a lot of places where leaks can go unnoticed. Because many of the pipes integral to your plumbing are in your walls or flooring, it can be difficult to spot a leak right away. Here are some of the best ways to tell if your plumbing is leaking.

Reduced Water Pressure

Having a leak means that some portion of your home’s water will be diverted elsewhere, meaning faucets, showers, and toilets won’t function the same. This means that when you need it, the water pressure is going to be severely lowered. Noticing low water pressure, especially when no one else is using water, is a direct sign that your plumbing could have a leak.

Water Bills Rising For No Reason

Your water bill is an amazing way to tell if your home has a leak. Many people have relatively consistent water usage. From running the dishwasher to having a shower, there are direct ways to track the amount of water your home is using. If the amount of water you’ve used hasn’t changed yet you have a much larger bill this month, then you have a leak on your hands.

It can also help to directly track the water meter. If there’s a period of time where your home is empty, like when your kids are at school and you’re at work, you can take notes of the number on the meter before leaving. Once you get back, you can tell if any of the numbers have increased. This directly tells you if your home has a leak, at which point you can hire professionals to figure out where it is and how to fix it.

Water Stains On The Ceiling or Walls

Seeing dark spots on your ceiling or walls is a direct sign that your home has a leak. These spots come from the water, and. If located beneath plumbing can give some indication as to where the damage is located. However, if the spot is underneath a bathroom, there are a lot of fixtures that could’ve caused that issue. This type of damage also only shows if the leak has been happening for a while, so getting it fixed quickly is incredibly important for the health of your home.

Getting the leak diagnosed by a professional is still incredibly important, as there could be more leaks persisting throughout your home. Having a professional there to figure out the scope of the problem will help you save thousands in the long run.

Do I Need Leak Detection?

Cali’s Choice can come to your home and find the leak in your plumbing system. Our team of expert plumbers has the expertise and tools to pinpoint the leak and figure out the best way to fix it. Call our office today so we can help detect damage before it grows too large.