When you have a water leak in your home or place of work, it does not necessarily mean that you will immediately notice a great deal of moisture dripping through the building. Some water leaks are hard to spot, especially if they are in locations that you cannot see, such as when pipes are buried in concrete. You will probably notice a burst pipe because of a severe drop in pressure, but one that is only dripping will be tougher to detect.

One of the simplest ways of determining whether you have a leak or not is to turn off all your taps and any devices that might be using water, like a pool pump for example. Once you have done so, check your water meter. If it is still running, then you do have a leak, and it is time to track down the likeliest cause.

Dripping Taps

Taps are not always able to turn off a water supply. Unlike a stopcock, they are only really designed to arrest water flow. If your tap is turned off, then it may still leak a little. Put plugs into your sinks and leave the taps turned off for several hours. If you notice water has built up later, then a leaky tap is the likely cause.

Leaking Toilets

Toilets will often allow some water to pass through them if the ballcock does not turn the flow off before the overflow has been reached. Bend the ballcock's arm down such that the cut off point is reached a bit sooner than would be achieved otherwise. Place a drop or two of food colouring into your toilet's cistern and inspect the bowl about 40 minutes later. This will give you a good indication of whether the toilet is leaking. So long as the toilet is not flushed, the bowl's water should remain clear. If the food colourant is showing, then you have a leak and it will be advisable to call in a plumber.

Leaking Waste Pipes

Because waste pipes are not pressurised and simply take foul water away by gravity, it can be hard to locate potential leaks. However, if you notice a foul odour near your drains, then this is a sign of leakage. Lift up the inspection covers and flush the toilet. You should see a good flow rate. If not, then you may have a leak that will need a professional inspection. If you see soil in the flow of waste water, then this can indicate that your drainpipes have been compromised by things like tree roots and are leaking.