How do you know if your water is leaking? You know if your water is leaking when you have high water bills, wet spots, stains, mold growth, and peeling paint. Water leaks can damage your house, expose you to respiratory problems, and cost you a lot of money in repairs if allowed to fester.
That’s why it’s necessary that you make hay while the sun shines by calling a plumber immediately you notice or suspect a leak in your house.
Top 5 Signs of a Water Leak
Here are the top five signs to help you spot a water leak in your house before it gets worse:
High Water Bills
If you’re incurring high water bills, then there’s every tendency that you have a water leak somewhere in your house. A leak will definitely drive up your rate of water consumption for no obvious reason, thus increasing your water bills. In simple terms, you probably have a leak in your house if you’re using more than 12,000 gallons of water per month, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) estimates.
Wet Spots
Wet spots are often caused by condensation, leaks, or poor draining. Usually, you’ll find the wet spots on the floor, walls, and ceilings. The wet spots can be difficult to notice if they’re small, but they can be easily noticed if your roof is leaking. If the leak is small, the wet spots might even dry up before you notice them, or you might even think it’s a spill. Even though wet spots can evade you sometimes, they can add to your water bills, especially if they’re caused by a leak.
Stains
Wet spots can leave stains on your floor, walls, or ceilings after they have dried up, or they can discolor the affected areas. For example, a white surface can become yellowish if it’s affected. Sometimes, mold growth or mildew will follow. At other times, a musty or moldy smell may occur. Oftentimes, this is a sign of a deep-set leak and requires urgent attention from a plumber.
Mold Growth
Mold and mildew thrive in damp environments. It can take them just 24 hours to surface. You’ll likely notice the growth of mold and mildew in your house if you have a water leak, especially one that has been there for some time. You may not notice mold easily, but the smell can often betray its presence in your house. Mold is dangerous to your health and can predispose you to respiratory problems. Hence, the need to fix any water leak in your house as quickly as possible.
Peeling Paint
Peeling paint is another noticeable sign of a water leak in your house. Unfortunately, the leak can dampen the paint and weaken its adhesiveness to the wall, thereby making it peel. Beyond that, a long strip of the paint may peel away, or you’ll find paint blisters and cracks on the wall, which can leave the wall in flakes.
So, how do you know if your water is leaking? The signs of a water leak are high water bills, wet spots, stains, mold growth, and peeling paint, but that doesn’t mean you need to sit back and relax when you notice or suspect even a small water leak in your house. You’ve got to act really fast and call a plumber, lest you spend more money fixing an otherwise minor issue.
How Plumbing 911 Can Help
Plumbing 911 is a reputable plumbing firm made up of professionals. Plumbing 911 offers full service for both residential and commercial properties, including everyday maintenance and emergency needs.
Our professionals are skilled in fixing clogged drains and toilets, leaky and damaged faucets and pipes, low water pressure, running toilets, sump pumps, and water heaters.
For a free inspection in your area, call Plumbing 911 at 1-866-720-0911, schedule an appointment today, or send an email. We cover Cuyahoga East, Cuyahoga West, Medina, Summit, Stark, Lake, and Geauga.
