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How to Tell Your Home has a Leaky Pipe

posted by Chris Valentine

Water is the essence of life — our bodies are more than half composed of it, and humans need to drink it to survive. However, water inside your home needs to be very tightly controlled!

We use water to wash our food, clothes, and our bodies. Our homes need water, but a flood or even a leak can be absolutely devastating. Homeowners need to be aware of how to spot the signs of water damage early, so it can be addressed and repaired right away.

Here are a few signs that indicate there’s a problem with the pipes in your home that needs to be fixed immediately.

Water Stains

Imagine what a spilled glass of water looks like — now, picture that same thing but on your ceiling. If you detect a faint yellow patch that looks like an unattended spill, it’s a water stain.

The thing is, you can’t just patch or paint over the stain. The water stain is evidence that there’s a bigger problem elsewhere that needs to be fixed. Call a professional plumber who can repair your home’s drains after diagnosing the problem immediately, even the very same day you call them.

The source of the stain could be a leak from a pipe or from an overflowing fixture. The plumber you call should have an HD video camera they use to inspect your pipes, so they can determine exactly what’s clogging it while you could only guess.

In addition to the harm a stain can cause your home, leaving a leak unaddressed can cause your water bill to rise and undo work you put in to reduce your energy bill.

Mould

If you detect mould in your home, that is always a bad thing. Mould is fungus that spreads when there’s uncontained moisture, so finding mould often means there’s a leak. Apart from being bad for your home, mould is also bad for your health.

If you smell a distinctly musty, earthy smell, beware — it’s probably mould! Try to trace the leak to its origins, and if you have any doubts about what to do, call a professional plumber.

Other Signs of Water Damage

There are many other signs that may tip you off that there’s a leak in your home. Here’s a short list of a few things to be mindful of that indicate water damage.

  • Rusted pipe connections

  • Warped floors that buckle

  • Walls or ceilings that seem swollen

  • Damp carpeting

  • Standing water on the floor

Water is an essential thing in life, but it has incredible power to spread out and destroy what it touches once it’s inside a home. Keep these water damage spotting tips in mind, and whenever you see any of them call a professional plumber to fix the problem before it gets any worse. In fact, hiring a plumber pre-emptively to inspect your pipes and ensure they’re in good working order could very well prevent you from ever seeing any of these signs of water damage in the first place.

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