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How to Find A Water Leak in Your Home

5 Ways to Determine If Your Home is a Water-Waster
The steady drip of a leaky faucet is a sound no homeowner wants to hear. But the reality is that leaks happen in all homes, and some are easier to detect than others.
If you’ve found your water bill creeping higher than usual, a leak could be the cause. You may be wondering, how can I check for water leaks in my house? While a professional can always help you detect the issue, you can still take matters into your own hands with our water leak detection tips below!
1. Monitor Your Water Meter
One of the most noticeable ways to tell if you have a water leak doesn’t actually involve getting your hands wet. All you need is your home’s water meter and a couple of hours.

First, turn off all water-using appliances and fixtures in the house. That includes sinks, dishwashers, washing machines — basically anything with a hose or pipe attached to it. Once you’ve done that, check your water meter and take note of the reading. Wait an hour or two (or longer) and check the meter again. If the reading has changed, you may have a leaky toilet, faucet, appliance or pipe somewhere. If that’s the case, continue to troubleshoot by using the tips below!
2. Inspect Faucets and Showerheads
If you have a leaky faucet or showerhead, you’ve probably noticed a steady drip. Don’t ignore it! Those small drips can add up to gallons of water per day and many dollars per month.
If you suspect a faucet, showerhead or bath spigot may be the culprit for your leak but can’t catch it in action, it’s worth setting up a container to check. Simply place an empty cup or bowl underneath the faucet. (Use a bucket beneath larger-flow fixtures.) Leave it alone for several hours or even overnight, then check it the next day. If there’s any water, you have a leak and likely need to replace parts within the fixture or the entire fixture itself.
3. Perform a Dye Test on Your Toilets
Toilet leaks may be hard to notice because of their infrequency, but you can detect them using a simple toilet dye test.

First, pull the top off the tank to access the water reservoir. Then take some food dye — preferably a dark color that you’ll be sure to notice — and add a few drops directly into the tank. Wait about 15 minutes (don’t flush!) and check the bowl. If you see any bit of the food coloring in the water, you have a leak somewhere in the tank — most likely the flapper or flush valve. Both of those parts are somewhat easy to replace, though we recommend calling a professional if you aren’t comfortable working with plumbing.
4. Check Outdoor Spigots and Irrigation Systems

Outdoor spigots can be sneaky water-wasters if you don’t use them often. Given their consistent exposure to the elements, even the most sturdily built fixtures can develop leaks. Wondering if you have a leaking outdoor faucet? An easy test is to connect a hose to the spigot, tighten it appropriately and run the water. (Be sure to capture the water for later use in watering plants or your lawn!) If any dripping occurs from the spigot, you may need a new washer or a new spigot.
For possible irrigation system leaks, perform a similar “watering in progress” test and inspect both sprinkler heads and irrigation lines.
5. Review Your Water Bill
The last way to tell if you have a leak may be the one you notice before anything else: your water bill. If you have a sudden spike in your bill that doesn’t correlate to any out-of-the-ordinary usage (washing cars, watering lawns during the summer, a slip-and-slide bonanza with the kids, etc.), a leak may be the culprit. ACSA water bills provide a comparison of your water usage for the same month of the previous year, which may also be handy to compare your usage at certain times of year. If you have questions about an abnormally high bill, we recommend giving us a call so we can help troubleshoot.
Water leaks can be messy for your home and your wallet, which is why it’s important to find and address them before they do real damage. Your water bill may be the most telling sign. Fishing out the location of the leak may take more diligence. If you’ve followed the steps above and still can’t find the source, we recommend calling a professional to help track it down. If you need more guidance, give us a call or visit the ACSA website for more tips and resources!
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