How to tell if your water supply pipe is leaking

If you suspect your water supply pipe is leaking but you can’t tell for certain, then a few simple steps will help you identify if there is a leak. Finding out the source of the leak can be more challenging and might involve digging up your garden and searching for problem pipes.

Therefore, you should make a claim on your water supply pipe cover, contact your water supplier, or book an emergency plumber if you discover that your pipe has sprung a leak.

Signs of a water supply pipe leak

Why do you suspect your supply pipe is leaking? Some of the most common warning signs of this plumbing leak emergency include:

• Low water pressure
• Low flow rates
• Noisy pipes
• Damp patches
• A waterlogged garden, especially when the weather is dry

Confirming that your water supply pipe is leaking

• Shut off all water-consuming appliances, such as dishwashers and washer-dryers.

• Turn off your water at the stopcock. This is usually in the kitchen, on a boundary wall, or under the kitchen sink.

• Check that you have shut off your home’s water supply properly by turning on your taps. If water continues to flow out of the tap after about 30 seconds, your water supply is still running.

• Find your water meter. This may be outside your home, perhaps underneath a plastic or metal cover. Your water supplier should know where your water metre is. Alternatively, it may be within your home, next to your stopcock.

• Take a full metre reading by noting down every number on the meter. If the metre is still going up, double-check that you have turned off all of your appliances.

• Wait for about 30 minutes—perhaps you could visit your neighbours or watch your favourite TV show?

• Check your metre again. If the reading has gone up, then you probably have a leak. The metre dial will only move if you have used water.

Paying for wasted water

Did you know that you may be able to avoid paying for any water you consume as a result of a leaking pipe? However, there are a number of requirements and exceptions, and utility suppliers have their own terms and conditions for “leak allowances,” so you will have to contact your water company to find out what you are entitled to.

In most cases, you should be able to recover some or all of the bill if:

• You reported the leak to your utility company shortly after you noticed it.
• Your leak is repaired within a set number of weeks.
• You make the claim for allowance quickly.

You may not be able to receive an allowance if:

• The leak was caused by your negligence.
• You have already received a leak allowance for a water supply leak at the same property (some utility suppliers will give you two or three leak allowances per property).
• The water supplier told you that your water supply line appeared to be leaking, but you took no action.
• The leak is coming from other pipes or fittings.

Leaking pipes?

Contact us at 0345-3192-247 and we can help! Our technical teams will run through some simple troubleshooting tips with you to see if your problem can be resolved over the phone. If not, we’ll send a highly skilled and qualified plumber to your location as soon as possible to resolve your plumbing issues.

There could be a number of reasons for your leaking pipe, so it’s better to trust the professionals. After all, you could end up making it worse, and you could be faced with a hefty bill to pay to repair the damage. We help, we repair, and we care.

247 Home Rescue accepts no liability for any injuries or damages you sustain following the advice on this website. If in doubt, seek professional assistance.