Hidden Leak Detection Specialists in islington

Problems of Hidden Leaks in the Home

Leaks in your home are among the worst plumbing problems you can encounter. If a leak isn't discovered in the shortest possible time, it could cause very bad damages. You could find yourself paying repair bills to fix a hidden leak in the range of hundreds or thousands of pounds.

At Emergency Plumber Islington, we can offer you a comprehensive cover for all of your plumbing problems. We are always available, so contact us on 020 31375020 at any time in the day or night convenient for you.

What are the possible consequences of a hidden leak in your home?

A leak in your home will not only cause very expensive structural damage, but a prolonged leak will cause a massive increase in your water bills, and cause the appearance of mould and mildew, both of which are harmful to the health of you and your family.

How can you prevent a hidden leak?

We recommend you prevent such situations of excessive damage to your home by looking out for all of the warning signs of a hidden leak, and discovering that leak while it is still early.

Emergency Plumber is a plumbing service company localised in Islington. We have a long experience in providing excellent plumbing solutions to home and offices. You can call to book an appointment with us or to get answers to any problem that troubles you. Call 020 31375020 today.

How do you know you have a hidden leak and need professional help?

A majority of plumbing faults begin as slow, unnoticeable leaks that start in our pipes and appliances, and plumbing fixtures. Below, we give a list of professional guidelines and checks to help you recognise a plumbing leak, and keep any damage to a minimum.

• Ensure your water utility bills are compared at regular intervals with former bills.
  Once you take possession of your water bill from the mailman, ensure you carefully check that bill, and compare it against the former bill. If you find any increase in your new bill that cannot be accounted for by any reasonable cause or a change in your household routine, then there is a likely chance that you could have a plumbing leak which is being overlooked.
• Make a habit of checking your water metre
  Checking your water metre provides you with a direct route to discovering if your home has a plumbing leak. An irrationally high leap in your bills could indicate the chance of a hidden leak on your property. We recommend you carry out a water metre test when the home is empty, to get more accurate results.

How is a water meter test carried?

We recommend you follow the preceding steps:

• End all water use in your home for no less than a period of three (3) hours. This includes stopping the usage of water fixtures and appliances such as showers, toilets, washing machines, dishwashers, all garden sprinkler systems, and every other additional indoor and outdoor that require the use of water
• Using a book and pen, note down the number count on the face of the water metre. Alternatively, you can easily take a snapshot of the number with the use of your mobile phone.
• Now wait for no less than three hours
• Recheck the number on your water metre once the three waiting hours have elapsed. A leak could be present in the home if you find the water metre is still counting even after all noticeable water use has been shut off for three hours.

Once you are convinced of the presence of a leak, how can you discover the site of the leak?

To check for any hidden leaks, we recommend you follow the succeeding steps:

• Check all visible pipes, including plumbing appliances such as sinks, showers, toilets, washing machine, dishwashers, sprinkler, and irrigation systems. These places usually are the common sites of plumbing leaks.
• Look for any sign of wet or spots around these areas, such as the presence of drips or puddles. Any of these signs, if present, will indicate a leak. Ensure you call a professional plumber if you find you cannot carry out the repair work.
• Problems like pinhole leaks at the back of the walls are more serious, as they will cause the gradual degradation of your home. If you find this problem, ensure you take fast action and get a plumber to fix it in the shortest possible time.
• Look out also for sagging floors or walls. If you discover moulds on the surface of your ceilings or wallpapers or perceive musty, earthy smells, this also could point you to the site of a leak.

You can seek out hidden leaks in the following common places;

1. Toilets
   In a family, toilet water use could account for 30 percent of the total water usage in a home. A toilet leak in your home, if not fixed in time, can double or triple this percentage of water use.
   
   You can test for a toilet leak. We recommend you do this by adding food colouring and leaving it for no less than 10 minutes. Within the stated ten minutes, if you discover the appearance of any colour in your toilet bowl, then there is a certain chance of a leak in your toilet tank to your toilet drain.
   
   One condition that could cause the toilet leak described above is the wearing out of your toilet rubber seals. To fix this leak, we advise that you replace the seals. You can contact Emergency Plumber Islington to assist in fixing these seals. Call 020 31375020 today to request a skilled plumber.
2. Sinks, baths, showerheads and taps
   Ensure you inspect beneath and around the sides of tap basins and sinks for leaks. Look for any signs of mould or any musty, earthy odour. These checks are increasingly more important, and require even greater caution if your home is old, usually above 25 years. You must bear in mind that every plumbing system will potentially wear out and decline as they age, and are more likely to develop leaks at such old age.
   
   When your shower or bath is not currently in use, double-check to ensure that the tap is shut off completely. Replace any old tap that drips, as slow drips build over time to large volumes of wasted water. Call 020 31375020 and get in touch with us today to fix all sinks and baths, and replace old taps.
3. Water heaters
   Check the connections of your water heater, and carefully inspect for any corrosion, or signs of oxidation. Look out also for water puddles, and make a call to Emergency Plumber Islington on 020 31375020 if you find any of the mentioned faults so that a quick inspection can be carried out, and any necessary repairs put in place.
4. Washing machines and dishwashers
   Ensure you turn over all pumps, hoses and valves on your appliances to inspect for any visible signs of discolouration or oxidation on the appliance. These signs usually indicate the presence of leaks in the discoloured area of the appliance. Contract the services of a skilled professional as soon as possible to repair all leaks in your washing machine or dishwasher hose.
   
   Ensure you replace all faulty hoses to prevent the escalation of a simple fault into a much greater problem. Don't wait any longer; contact Emergency plumbers Islington now to request a skilled engineer.
5. Damaged, stained or sagging ceilings, walls or flooring
   Carefully comb through all ceilings, walls and floors in your home for any sign of rippling, warping, sagging or staining. All of these signs commonly are results of a hidden leak seeping from a nearby pipe. Employ the services of an experienced plumber if you find you possess neither the expertise nor equipment to get behind the areas where these leaks are present and repair the leaks.
   
   Call 020 31375020 to hire our professional services today. Early control of a growing leak will save you much in time and money in the future.
6. Wallpaper and paint that are stained, blistered, chipping crackling, or bubbling up
   If you find any crack, bubble or discolouration on the surfaces of paint or wallpaper, do not assume they are caused by steam rising from your shower or bath. They are more likely the result of a leak from behind the surface. Ensure in such cases that you make a call to hire experienced professional help, or you might risk furthering the damage.
7. Plaster, drywall, wood panels or baseboard that is warping
   If left exposed over a long period, structural materials like wood panels, plaster and baseboards grow warped like dampened wood and become soft. If under your touch, you find the texture of the structural materials notes longer are as flat and regular as before, you can suspect a hidden leak as the cause of the change.
8. Mould, mildew and funny smells
   Mould and mildew do occur on non-shower walls, and can usually be discovered even in the most uncommon places. You can look for mould and mildew in:
• Shower corners
  Look in dark and moist places on your walls, as these are favoured breeding sites for mould and mildew and will indicate there is a leak in that area. Do not overlook uncommon areas, as they could point out a leak.
• Accumulated old water
  These usually smell earthy and musty. If you find that musty smell lingers, even after cleaning your bath and shower, then know there is a likely chance of a hidden leak.
• Wet floors and carpets
  Loose or discoloured tiles or springy floors in your bathroom bears the indication that a hidden leak could be letting water into the floor from a nearby faulty pipe. If water remains long in a floorboard, it causes it to rot and weaken, and the floorboards begin to bend under the weight of your feet, hence becoming springy.
  
  Damp carpets also could be caused by water escaping from the nearby pipes, and getting absorbed into the floor.
9. A room that remains cooler than the others
   If you find a room in your home remains much cooler than other areas of your home, then you should accept the chance of a leak in that room. Much faster than air, water is adept at sucking heat out of a room, causing the room to grow cooler. So a leak could be causing a damp spot in the room, and drawing warmth away from parts of the home.
10. Sparks coming out of your light switches
    Water is an exceptional conductor of electricity, and is not only extremely dangerous but is fatal if it gets inside any active electrical system. If you find that on switching on or turning off your light switches, sparks go off in the switches and electrical fixtures, or you hear any crackle, you should immediately make sure that all electrical power is turned off from the affected area.
    
    Seek professional help at once also. Call Emergency Plumber Islington on 020 31375020, and we can offer you experienced aid in such a situation.
11. Presence of a dripping sound
    Faint dripping sounds in the home will alert you to the area of a hidden leak. Carefully seek out the source, before it causes a more severe damage.

What if you can't find the leak?

If after you've undertaken all of our listed steps, and still can't find the source of the hidden leak, then we recommend you hire the services of a professional.

Call Emergency Plumber Islington to assist you in finding and repairing leaks, drips or any other related plumbing fault. Call 020 31375020 to speak to a friendly customer service personnel, and request a skilled plumber in Islington.