How to check your if your water pipes leak so you don't get a shocker of a water bill
I recently received an email from SES water and thought it was quite useful so I'm sharing it as is. See my comments below that.
"Thank you for wrapping up your homes and reporting visible bursts during the freezing weather last month.
Now the temperature has risen, we wanted to share a few steps you can take to check if the recent cold spell has caused any damage to your water pipes.
Not all leaks become visible, but even small invisible leaks can grow and cause damage to your property over time.
If you are able to, please follow these steps to make sure your home is
leak free:
- Open your meter chamber (usually found in the footpath outside your
home), remove the polystyrene on top of the meter and any surface water
that may have collected in the chamber. A sponge usually does the trick.
- Take a reading and don't use any water for the next 30 minutes to an
hour and then take another reading. If the reading has changed, this
indicates water escaping from somewhere and you need to call a plumber. You
can find one here
- If there is no change to your water meter reading during the above
checks this means no water is escaping and there are no leaks.
We’re also out day and night working hard to find and fix leaks on our
network. Please help us by reporting any leaks you see in a public area
through our website here "
SES also has a great tool to report any water leaks you may notice in the road or at your home.. Please check your water pipes for leaks after winter and prevent getting a shockingly high bill when the next water bill comes.
If your water supplier is another company, then please check their websites for similar reporting tools or leak maps.
Be a water leak hunter
You can be a good neighbour and be the first one that reports those nasty leaks down the road. Save the planet.
A water leak down the road will affect you
As small leak could become a cascade and flood into properties down the road or yours.
Or your pressure will be so bad that you can't even shower or flush the toilet and the boiler and heating will stop working.
Listen to your washing machine
One winter my one tenant reported their washing machine not filling or rinsing properly. It turned out the water pressure was too low, as a pipe had burst a few blocks away. We found it by looking on the water suppliers leak map. The water company had throttled the water supply in order to prioritise providing enough water to the nearby hospital instead of the homes nearby.
Book a free check-up (water leak detection)
No harm to take the water companies up on their offer of free check-ups if you are concerned .
SES has some info on their website and
Thames water on their website on this link
Water is a sneaky enemy.
It not always clear where a leak is. It might show only up years later as a collapsed driveway or as damp patches during dry weather. rot shows Check for leaking water pipes regularly especially after a cold spell. Water companies are installing water meters and you don't want to pay for spilt water. Or have so much damage or damp issues that you have to move out of your home.
Leave a comment below on any tips for detecting water leaks.