Waterleaks

Have you all of a sudden seen a high water bill or puddling water in your yard in Tacoma, Federal way or Auburn? Then your local Plumbing Professionals at Acqua Plumbing is your answer. If you have noticed or these items then you more likely have an underground water leak somewhere on your main water line. Here at Acqua Plumbing we are always giving tips and tricks, we even have a informative video here for you to watch brought to you by youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXp-jOir_7U

(Photo shown below is water damage from a leak in the home)

First step in identifying that your leak is outside your home is to shut off your plumbing fixtures in your home. After this is accomplished locate your water meter, the city usually places it on one of the corners of your property. Once you have located the meter you will see a little triangle or arrow looking object, if this is spinning you definitely have a leak. Now go back to your home and locate your water main shut off for your home. Having a water shut off is code for your home but most older homes do not have one making locating a leak a bit more difficult. If yes you do have a main home shut off , then turn the valve off and once again find your water meter. If the meter is then still spinning you have just located the source of the leak somewhere underground on your main water line. If you have an underground leak on the main water line then there are several items that you need to consider, the type of soil you have, if there is a pool or puddling on your yard or lawn, and if your water pipes are underneath concrete or grass lawn? If you have a nice little lake of water in your yard or really soggy/wet lawn or grass then you most likely have found the source of the water leak, as the water will escape the damaged pipe area. After these steps have now been accomplished you have saved a lot of time and money in water leak detection and now are ready for the plumbing professionals at Acqua Plumbing to come assist you in the repair of the water leak.

IF you do not have a home shut off then the only solution to find it after all your fixtures have been shut off at the valves on each in your home then a leak search from the expert plumbers here at Acqua Plumbing. You have determined it is not a leaking toilet or sink with the fixtures being shut off at this point, or if you have looked at your meter and it is still spinning a leaking fixture could now be added to the list of potential leak sources.

If the meter stopped running when you turned off the water main then the leak is somewhere in or under the home, most likely; the toilet is running or there is a broken pipe or fitting. Listening for a leak is known as acoustic detection, which we have several methods for using an old doctor stethoscope type device or electronic equipment, and that simply means walking along your walls or outside to see if you can hear a pressurized hissing. Once the leak has been located it will need to either be replaced or removed and new fittings/piping be installed, depending on the damage. To do this correctly, consider calling the smarts plumbers here at Acqua to avoid any incorrections in installation. Another great tip from Acqua is you can dye test your toilets by putting food coloring in your toilet’s tank and wait a ½ hour or so to an hour. If, when you return you notice that the dye is in the toilet bowl then you have an issue with a running toilet. This is primarily due to either a bad flush valve, aging flapper or possibly a malfunctioning fill valve.

Checking each fixture after the toilet, as you may have a leaking shower valve, faulty cartridge in one of your fixture valves, or brown spots on your ceiling, and damp sheetrock on your walls.

Either way if you have or do not have a shut off valve, interior leak, underground leak, the problem needs to be addressed by professionals here at Acqua Plumbing to help insure you investment (Your home) and your money is well spent and taken care of the correct way, as so no future problems arise. Your Neighborhood Plumbing Professional at Acqua Plumbing is here to help you with any problems or possible leak issues here in the Tacoma, Federal Way, Renton,  the King County or pierce county areas.