Can a water leak fix itself?
A water leak can annoy, worrisome, and expensive! Once you have noticed a water leak ceiling or under other areas of your home, all you can think about is getting it fixed. Before you can get it fixed though, you need to find where the water leak or water break is at, and that is often the hump that slows down the repair. The homeowner can sometimes do a water leak in wall repair, other times it requires a professional plumber and maybe a drywall contractor.
We have known it to happen. Your next question is probably “How can a water leak fix itself?”, and that is a legitimate question with a somewhat scientific answer: Metal calcifies. This is more likely to happen in areas with hard water because it has enough calcium in the water to become calcified, forming a seal where the leak is. A sure way to get a water leak to stop though is to start by tightening the joint, even if it has calcified to ensure the leak doesn’t start again.
Can plumbers detect leaks?
Hidden water leaks cost homeowners hundreds to thousands of dollars annually. Not only is this money wasted on the water bill, but this includes money spent on repairing water damage by water leaks. Before you call a plumber, you can determine if you a water leak yourself.
First, turn all the water off inside your home and the outdoor spigots. Then go check the water meter, if it is running, and you know for certain that there isn’t any water on inside the house, then you have a water leak on your side of the meter. If the meter isn’t turning, but you see a sign of water leaks on the ceiling or walls, there is likely an internal water leak that needs the attention of a plumber.
Professional plumbers have leak detection equipment that will accurately and quickly find a water leak if there is one. Before the leak detection equipment, they have today, they would use ground microphones and/or listening discs, acoustic listening devices, to find a water leak.
Other means a plumber has of detecting a water leak:
- Plumbing cameras
- Vision inspection tools
These are both valuable tools for a plumber because they can pinpoint the precise source of a water leak fast, especially if the plumber has a general idea of the location. The visual aid a plumber has with this equipment allows them to even evaluate the options to repair the water leak.
How Plumbers find leaks?
Unless a water leak springs happens in a clearly visible pipe, you may not realize you have a water leak until one of two things: Your water bill is an excessive amount one month or you see water stains on the ceiling, floor, walls, or worse, a water puddle in or under your house.
This is where you realize the benefits of hiring a professional plumber. Water leak detection is one of their most sought-after services and skills. The techniques that most licensed plumbers use that will give them an exact location of a water leak and why it is leaking are:
- Acoustic listening device: As we mentioned earlier, ground microphones and listening discs have become a basic tool for plumbers to detect and pinpoint a water leak. This technology allows them to listen for water leaking noises through ceilings, floors, walls, even concrete.
- Heat scanner: There are some areas where the noise of the water leak is too deep for the acoustic method described above won’t work. In these instances, a professional plumber can use a heat scanner to pick up the change in temperature from where water isn’t escaping to where the water leak is located.
- Video pipe inspection: To get a precise leak detection, plumbers have miniature cameras today that are mounted on a long cable made of fiber optics. The camera relays the images to a monitor and the plumber can see the inside of water pipes, including drainpipes and sewer pipes. The plumber can see clogs, water leaks and other information that helps them provide a better service.
- Professional Training: For a professional plumber to provide the best detection of a water leak, the best tool they can have is a professional training, both for getting their license and ongoing training that keeps them up-to-date with the latest equipment and methods that allow them to do the best job possible.
Is there a tool to detect water leak?
We’ve mentioned several tools that plumbers use to detect where a water leak is, from sound detection that uses headphones and microphones to heat detection and cameras. The plumbers of yesteryear training will still rely on their own skills of listening for running water underground and running through water pipes. Is one way better than the others? It all depends on the plumber’s preference and the water leak location.
What is a leak detection test?
Water leak detection equipment and testing are used to determine if and where a water leak has occurred. The various equipment and methods include the following:
- hydrostatic testing
- infrared
- laser technology
Each of these methods, plumbers are trained on how and when to use the equipment to find a water leak. They will often pair this with their own experience, giving their customers the best of both worlds.
Water leaks are expensive two of which affect a homeowner directly: utility bills and water damage. Another way it costs all of us is the waste of a natural resource that we expect and need daily. Repairing a water leak when it is discovered is one of the best ways to conserve that natural resource. For your water leak repair in Stryker, Bryan, and Napoleon, OH, call Woolace & Johnson today at 419-546-8424!