Having a water leak in your home is upsetting, but you know that a call to your trusted plumber is a sure solution. However, the times that should be even more concerning are when you only wonder if you have a water leak in or under your slab home. This situation could quickly turn into a significant catastrophe if left unattended. You are not sure if you should call in the pros because you do not see a leaking pipe, fixture, or fitting. This is when even a small hidden water leak could result in tens of thousands of dollars in water damage and cause health issues for you and your loved ones related to toxic black mold. The advice from all plumbing professionals is to call in a professional even if you only suspect a leak.
Signs Of A Hidden Water Leak
Hidden water leaks present a challenge because you cannot see them. But other signs will provide you with hints or clues leading you to the issue. Some of the most apparent signs of a hidden water leak include:
- Unexplained moist carpet
- Bubbled or bulging linoleum flooring
- Damp or warped wood flooring
- Water oozing through tile grout lines
- Staining or bubbling on walls or ceilings
- An odd mildew odor inside a specific room in your home
- Moisture in an otherwise dry part of your home
- An unexplainably large water bill
- The sound of dripping water in your wall
- A sudden drop in your home’s water pressure
If you notice any of these signs of a hidden water leak in your home, time is critical. The faster you call in a leak detection professional, the quicker the problem can be corrected, and the water damage to your home addressed.
How Leak Detections Works
It might be equally upsetting to picture a plumber walking into your home with a sledgehammer to begin looking for a hidden water leak. Fortunately, many new tools and pieces of technology have replaced the sledgehammer when it comes to looking for hidden water leaks. Two of the most common and successful tools include a sound amplification device and a moisture meter.
The moisture meter will indicate if drywall, wood, or other building materials are soaking up moisture in a specific area of your home. A small leak might not create a visible wet area. But a moisture meter will indicate even a slight increase in moisture to reveal a water leak in the vicinity.
Sound amplification tools allow a trained leak detection specialist to hear even the smallest drip of water or water flow in the walls, ceilings, or floors of your home. These tools are sensitive enough to even detect a water leak under the concrete slab foundation of your home. Using this tool and applying a great deal of expertise, a good leak detection specialist can determine if there is a leak and its location without ever damaging your home.
Fixing A Hidden Water Leak
Knowing that you have a hidden water leak is only half the battle. Accessing it for a repair is the second challenge. In many cases, the leak can be accessed from outside your home by carefully digging under the concrete foundation. For leaks inside the walls or ceiling, the pipes can often be rerouted through the attic, basement, or crawl space to reduce the damage done during the repair. The final option is to cut into the wall, ceiling, floor, or foundation to make the repair. But thanks to the sound amplification tools, these access holes are small and can be repaired very easily.
If you even suspect a hidden water leak in your home, it is imperative that you call (214) 388-8838 immediately. A Flow Plumbing leak detection specialist will arrive quickly to locate and fix the leak before it causes severe damage to your home.
