The holidays are a time for festive gatherings with family and friends. If you’re like most people who host these events in your home, you’re already aware that household water usage increases significantly during this time. From preparing large meals in your home kitchen to hosting overnight guests, your plumbing system will likely be working overtime during the holiday season.
The days after the celebrations wind down will be an excellent time to assess whether your system has developed any hidden leaks or other issues. Left undetected, these could result in substantial damage, leading to increased water bills and even costly repairs. Here’s how you can check for undetected plumbing leaks after the holiday rush and ensure that your system is in top shape for the rest of the year.
Start With Your Water Meter
Your water meter is one of your most reliable tools for quickly identifying undetected leaks. The first step is to turn off all household faucets, water appliances, and fixtures, and tell family members and anyone else present not to turn them on. After locating your water meter, record the reading. Check the meter again after 30 minutes. If the reading has changed, that means that water is escaping at some point in your plumbing, pointing to a hidden leak.
Inspect Common Leak-Prone Areas
Hidden leaks frequently occur in areas that aren’t immediately noticeable. Focus your initial inspection in the following spots.
Under Sinks
Open the cabinets under your sinks and look for water stains, warping, or damp spots. Turn on the faucet, and feel around the pipes for moisture, focusing closely on connections and joints.
Toilets
Toilet leaks are sometimes silent, with the potential to waste gallons of water each day. An easy way to detect this is to sprinkle a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank and wait 15 minutes. If the color appears in the bowl of the toilet, you probably have a silent leak.
Walls and Ceilings
Carefully inspect walls and ceilings for water stains, bubbling paint, or unexplained discoloration. These are potential signs that you may have a leak from pipes that are hidden within the structure.
Outdoor Faucets and Irrigation Systems
Don’t forget to check plumbing components on your home exterior. Look for dripping outdoor faucets and leaks in your irrigation system because these can waste a significant amount of water.
Listen for Unusual Sounds
Hidden plumbing leaks often make subtle sounds that may go unnoticed during the hustle and bustle of holiday activity. Once your home is quiet, listen for noises such as dripping, hissing, or running water, particularly near water fixtures and appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines. These sounds may provide a path to the root source of a hidden leak. If you hear constant running water in your toilet, this could mean that its flapper is leaking.
Check for Unexplained Water Usage
Although it’s reasonable to expect a higher water bill after several weeks of holiday hosting, if your bill remains high after your household returns to normal, you could have an undetected leak. Carefully compare your water bills over the course of several months to identify any inconsistencies.
Examine Your Foundation and Exterior
Hidden leaks can also occur underground and in areas where plumbing pipes run underneath your home’s foundation. Telltale signs include damp or soggy patches in your yard, cracks or clearly visible shifts in the foundation, or pools of water near the exterior of your home. These could be signs that there’s a leak in your main water line or elsewhere in your underground pipes.
Test Your Appliances
Dishwashers and washing machines receive heavy use during the holiday season, especially if you host houseguests for several days or longer. Check all hoses, connections, and the surrounding areas for puddles, dampness, or other indications of leaks. Even if you find no leaks, replace worn out or damaged hoses to prevent future issues.
Use Advanced Tools if Necessary
For enhanced leak detection, you can use specialized tools. Infrared cameras, for instance, can detect differences in temperature that point to possible moisture behind walls or under floors. Moisture meters can measure the water content in walls, ceilings, and floors, helping you to locate leaks that aren’t in visible locations. These tools are frequently used by professional plumbers to locate leaks in an efficient and quick manner without causing unnecessary damage to a home.
Address Minor Issues Immediately
Minor leaks have a way of escalating into larger problems if they’re left unaddressed. Be sure to tighten loose connections when you find small leaks, and replace worn-out washers and seals on a regular basis. For more complex issues, it’s best to consult with a professional plumber. You might want to schedule an inspection after the holiday hoopla has died down to help ensure that your plumbing survived the season intact.
Prevent Future Plumbing Issues
Proactive steps that you can take to minimize future plumbing problems include having leak detection devices installed, adding insulation to exposed pipes to prevent freezing during periods of subfreezing weather, and replacing old, deteriorating pipes and fixture with their durable modern counterparts. Keep in mind that even though the Tucson, AZ area rarely experiences freezing temperatures, when they do occur, they tend to take homeowners by surprise.
You can also take proactive measures during the holiday season itself to keep plumbing problems to a minimum. Inspect key fixtures such as garbage disposals, hot water tanks, and dishwashers prior to hosting events to lessen the chances of unexpected and unpleasant surprises. During meal preparation times, avoid risky practices such as pouring grease, oil, or fats down the drain.
Set Clear Household Rules
If you have guests staying in your home during the holiday season, remind them to dispose of nonflushable items like paper towels or sanitary products in the trash can rather than flushing them down the toilet. It may help to put up a sign if you’ll be having multiple guests, and be sure to provide a convenient trash receptacle. Stagger shower times, dishwashing, and laundry to avoid overwhelming your plumbing system.
Contact Cal’s Plumbing for More Information
Our experienced plumbing team at Cal’s Plumbing uses state-of-the-art tools and techniques to find and fix hidden leaks and other household plumbing issues with minimal disruption to your home and routine. We’re also available for the full spectrum of plumbing needs, including repiping, hydro jetting, water filtration and purification, and backflow prevention.
We’ve been providing residents of Tucson and surrounding communities with quality plumbing services since 1948 and take pride in our commitment reliability, and customer satisfaction. Whether you need routine maintenance, are planning to upgrade your plumbing system, or have an emergency situation that needs attention outside of normal business hours, we’re here to keep your plumbing running smoothly all year round.
Reach out to Cal’s Plumbing today to schedule an appointment or learn more about how to detect hidden plumbing leaks.
