The following information will teach you how to find a water leak around your home. It is a good practice to check this every 3-6 months because you don’t want to receive a large water bill. There is also a video on YouTube that you may find easier to follow.
Checking for water leaks
Check out the entire property to make sure that no plumbing fixtures including taps, toilets, showers, outside hose taps or hot water units are leaking.
Taps are quite easy to check by looking at the tap outlet or just holding your hand under the spout.
This can also be done for showers. Just put your hand under the shower rose. If your hand gets wet then the tap is dripping.
You may find if there is a slow leak, you can feel the vanity bowl or floor of the shower first thing in the morning when nothing has been used to see if it is damp.
How to check your toilet for leaks
For toilets the best way to check to see if your toilet is leaking is to look into the bowl and see if there is a ripple in the water.
If you grab a piece of toilet paper you can hold it against the wall of the toilet and find out if there is a small leak too.
How to check the hot water system for leaks
With the hot water unit you need to check around the unit for signs of water and also check the overflow pipe.
Locate the water meter
Once you are sure there are no fixtures leaking you can now go outside to the footpath and locate your water meter.
Please refer to the article “How to shut off your water meter” for the best way to locate it.
Also you may find it easier to view the Capital Plumbing video on YouTube. Once you have found the meter and lifted the lid you should be able to see the meter.
Recording the amount of water leaking
Once you lift the plastic cover you will be able to see numbers or numbers and clocks. There are two different styles of water meters on the Gold Coast.
The first one has numbers only and this is an older style meter.
With this meter if you have a leak, the red numbers on the right side will be ticking over.
This is when I suggest you get a pen and paper write down the number you see and leave it for a few hours. This is best to do when you are going out because you have to remember not to use any water otherwise it will give you a false reading.
Sometimes you may have a leak but cannot see it when looking at the numbers or dials because the leak is so small.
The second water metre has both numbers and dials. You need to make sure none of the dials are spinning.
After you have left it for as long as you can, check the meter and if the numbers have changed you have a leak.
Contact us to help with all water leaks
If you find you have a leak or have any questions please call Capital Plumbing on 07 5528 4449 and we will be able to help you through.
