This is the complete guide to common home water leaks

It covers.

  • How to check if you have a water leak
  • How to find a water leak
  • How to stop common water leaks

So, if you want to easily check, find and stop water leaks, you’ll love this guide.

Let’s get started.

How to Check If You Have a Water Leak

The best and easiest way to check whether you have a water leak is to review your home water meter.

A home water meter is a device that measures how much water you consume. If you switch off all water outlets and your water meter is still ticking over, then it’s highly like you have a leak.

Here’s how to check it:

Step 1: Switch Off All Water Outlets

Visit all your taps, bathtubs, showers and make sure they are turned off. Don’t forget to check for outside taps, aquariums and the washing machine.

Step 2: Locate Your Water Meter

Your water meter will usually be located at the front or side of your home. It’s often kept under a small plastic or concrete covering. It will often have the word WATER engraved or printed on the front. You may need a small knife or screwdriver to open the covering.

Step 3: Take an Indicator Reading

Check the indicator on the front of the meter and take a reading. Different water brands have different ways of displaying the readings, but you should see a small triangular shaped dial or a small wheel with a number. Take that number and write it down in your phone.

Step 4: Take a Second Reading an Hour Later

Give your meter 45 minutes to an hour and take a second reading. If the number has changed, then you probably have a leak.

How to Find a Water Leak

Finding the exact location of a leak can be tricky. Some leaks are visible, some are not. Some leaks may start in one location, then flow to another area before causing damage. The key point here is, not all leaks are the same and you need to be like a detective searching your home to find it.

Here’s our best advice for finding a leak.

Understand the Two Different Types of Home Water Leaks

There are two types of home water leaks. These are:

  • Pressure leaks
  • Gravity leaks

Pressure leaks are caused by water entering your home, such as drinking and bathing water. This is because this water is delivered under pressure. These leaks are usually quite obvious as you suddenly have less pressure than you are usually accustomed too.

Gravity leaks are caused by water exiting your home, such as toilet water and the washing machine water. These leaks are usually quite difficult to detect as it’s not something you directly use and the loss of pressure is less noticeable.

Follow the Signs of Water Damage

Search your home for any wet or discolouration on your ceilings, floors, walls and woodwork. Often brown or beige carpet can hide water damage to the eye, so make sure you get down on your hands and knees and feel for water too.

Make sure you clean out the kitchen drawers or the bathroom sink. Often bottles of bleach or supermarket carrier bags can often be hiding a nasty bit of water damage at the back of a cupboard.

Another thing to check for is condensation. Condensation is generally quite normal, but excessive condensation is a key sign of a water leak. Again, make sure you check kitchen drawers, the bathroom sink and behind the washing machine. All these areas can be covered with condensation that goes on to damage your walls, ceilings, floors and woodworking.

Check the Common Leak Points

There are two key areas in the home where you commonly find water leaks. These are:

  • Water tank/boiler
  • Faucets
  • Toilets
  • Home Appliances

Here’s how to check, and stop them, if they’re leaking.

Water tank/boiler

The first place to start when searching for a leak is the main valves that take water into/out of your boiler or water tank. The key signs you are looking for are water marks on the floor/surrounding a valve or a hissing noise. If you detect any of these signs, then it is likely you have a leak in your water tank or boiler.

How to Fix a Water Tank Leak

Water leaks coming from a water tank or boiler should be fixed by a plumber or central heating engineer. Do not attempt to fix this leak without the assistance of a qualified specialist.

Faucets

Taps in the bathroom or kitchen can be a common source of a leak. If your tap never stops dripping, then you probably have an issue with a worn rubber washer. This component creates a seal between your tap and the incoming water. If the washer is worn, then water will leak through.

How to Fix a Faucet Leak

The rubber washer will be located directly under the tap’s handle. You will need to remove the handle and replace the worn washer with a new rubber washer.

Toilets

Toilets are a very common source of leaks. They’re also extremely hard to detect as you rarely (if ever?) measure the amount of water entering or leaving your toilet. So, to check if you have a toilet leak, follow the two simple steps:

Step 1: Remove the tank lid and place a few drops of food colouring in the back of the toilet tank

Step 2: Wait 30 minutes, without flushing, and check the toilet bowl

If you have food colouring in the toilet bowl, then you have a leak.

How to Fix a Toilet Leak

Toilet leaks will usually be caused by one of three issues. These are:

  • Flapper Valve Leaks
  • Flush Handle Problems
  • Overflow Tube Leaks

Here’s how to fix them:

Flapper Valve Leaks

A worn or cracked flapper valve is the most common reason for a leaking toilet. Now, the flapper is the rubber valve in the bottom of the tank that lifts up when the toilet is flushed. If this flapper gets worn or cracked, the seal between the tank and toilet bowl is effectively broken water will flow directly from the tank into the toilet bowl. This will need to be replaced by a qualified plumber.

Flush Handle Problems

Another common reason for a toilet leak is a worn, loose or broken flush valve. The flush handle is the handle or chain that you use to pull down to flush the toilet. If the handle is loose or worn, then water will continue to run from the tank to the toilet bowl. To fix this, remove the toilet lid and tighten the nut that secures the flush handle in place. If that doesn’t work, you may need to contact a qualified plumber to replace the handle.

Overflow Tube Leaks

Another common reason for a leaking toilet is that the water level in your tank is too high. If the water is too high, then it can start to get into the overflow tube. To check if this is the case, remove the tank lid and look at the water level. It should be about half an inch below the overflow tube. If it’s above this, water is probably getting syphoned away when the toilet refills after flushing. To fix this, very gently bend the float arm down so that the water shuts off at a level below the overflow tube. If that doesn’t work, contact a plumber who should be able to quickly fix the problem.

Home Appliances

Another key area to check is behind key home appliances such as washing machines, dishwashers and anything else that uses water from the mains supply. Often the valves or pipes that supply water to the appliance can become loose in operation leading to leaks.

How to Fix a Home Appliance Leak

The first place to look is your appliance’s warranty. If your warranty is still in date, then you should be able to get it fixed by the supplier or get a replacement appliance for free. Hopefully, you kept the warranty in a safe place.

If you can’t find the warranty, then your next best bet is to call a certified plumber or appliance fixing specialist. Washing machines and dishwashers come in a variety of designs and will need to be analysed by a specialist for their specific problem.

Free Advice

If you’re struggling for advice regarding water leaks, ring our dedicated experts on 0800 112 3134 or 0333 577 3134. We’re open Monday to Friday 07:00 - 17:30 and Saturday 08:30 - 12:30.