When thinking about the potential for a burst pipe in a building, one often conjures up the cartoonish image of water flooding the lower floors, with loud gushing noises and unmistakable damage to property. However, in truth, water leak detection services are not nearly as simple as Tom and Jerry would have us believe. Often, undiscovered and insidious leaks within the plumbing system of a building can lead to costly damage – whether through the leaked water doing damage to fittings and fixtures or through the waste of the metered water.
Some of the steps that can be taken to cure or resolve leaks are simple: these include being aware of the most obvious signs of leak damage – such as curling vinyl floors, peeling paint on the walls, and mold spots around fixtures – and taking basic actions to prevent them, such as caulking around shower doors and bathtubs. However, the aforementioned signs of water damage can pose significant health risks to the tenants of a building, and so if the problem cannot be resolved with simple solutions, it cannot be left unexplored. At that point, you may be better off hiring a company that provides professional water leak detection services.
The Sound of Silence
A large part of water leak detection resides in listening. The unmistakable sound of a water leak is that of hissing: whether being emitted from a drainpipe, a toilet, or a valve, even a quiet hiss rather than silence can indicate the presence of escaping water.
Once the sound of hissing has been identified, it is possible to begin searching for a precise source of the noise. Knowing the exact location of the leak is, of course, an absolute prerequisite for the solving of the problem; new pipes can only be installed in the right place to cure the leak if the faulty pipe or valve itself has already been identified. In smaller buildings, this process is not too difficult; it is advisable to check showerheads and hosepipes for any signs of leakage, as well as listening to the toilet and the hot water boiler. In a larger building, this process becomes more complicated; it is best to first identify the scale of the problem, verifying the range of the telltale hissing sound, and making a clear note of which rooms in the building are seemingly affected.
Professional Help
Water leak detection can be tricky, but it is nevertheless an important aspect of resolving the issue. While plumbers, experts in their field, will be more adept and provide high-quality water leak detection services, it is nevertheless infinitely preferable to give them at the very least an estimated location of the problem. When this is enacted, the plumber or pipe replacement professional can then focus their energies on fixing the issue, rather than having to go through the lengthy process of finding it.