Watch Out For Water Leaks Under The House!

Just the other day our plumbing team got a call to a home where the home owner had noticed a water leak under his house. Our team was called to investigate.

Our plumber did a quick investigation, found the pipe at fault, and proceeded to replace it with the more modern replacement of Buteline pipe which will carry out the task better in the future.

The moral of the story here is keep an eye out for hidden water leaks even in unexpected places! If this homeowner wasn’t so vigilant to notice this leak, they could have been paying for it in their bills for months! This is a costly thing not to notice.

Some things to look out for which could indicate a water leak include:

• Check your water meter an hour after turning off all water taps and make sure it isn’t counting
• Mould or mildew on walls
• Higher than usual bills
• Cracked or warped flooring
• Listen closely – Do you hear running water when there shouldn’t be any?
• A musty smell

Any of these could indicate a plumbing leak, so it pays to check up on them if you have suspicions.

Another thing to bear in mind is that old pipework has a tendency to pop without warning so if you are unsure of your pipes it would pay to check them over.  This is particularly the case with older homes, especially from the 60s, when a lot of low quality black alkathene pipe was imported and used for plumbing. This kind of pipe should not be used where exposed to sun, or for hot water, and will burst over time. Even if you don’t have an issue now, we highly recommend you get your pipes checked out and replaced, especially if you are doing a renovation or work on your home, so that you don’t have issues later.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to leaks is where the leak is and if it’s actually your responsibility. Depending on where the leak is, it could be on council pipework which means you don’t need to pay for the repair. You can call up Watercare if you suspect a leak who will come out and inspect it for free. From there you can work out who needs to fix it. More information can be found on our mains water leaks blog post here.

If you have noticed one of the above and are unsure of what to do, give our team a call today on 0800 832 638.