#LOCATING HIDDEN WATER LEAKS FULL#

All inside walls should be dry, and the drywall should not dent or crumble upon being touched.

If you, your property management team or maintenance personnel have noticed any water spots or moisture along a wall, touch it to confirm the presence of water.

If either of these things has occurred, you may have a water leak. After the elapsed time, note if the needle has moved or if the numbers have risen.

Leave the water fixtures, faucets and appliances off for a period of time, eight hours if possible. Locate your buildingвЂ™s water meter and write down the numbers and/or note the position of the needle.

Make sure that every water fixture, faucet and water-using appliance is off.

However, if you wish to confirm the leak before calling a plumber, there are things you can do. Tracing Water Pipe LeakageДЄs soon as you or your maintenance team realizes you have a water leak, you should take steps to turn off the water in that area to prevent further water damage and call a professional. If theyвЂ™ve increased dramatically, itвЂ™s time to have your plumbing system inspected and tested for leaks. You can determine if your water usage has increased by looking at your water bills over the last one to two years. If you havenвЂ™t recently turned on your sprinklers, filled a pool or had another type of heavy water usage, and you notice an increase in your Chicago buildingвЂ™s water usage, you may have a leak.

Your water bill has suddenly increased to spite no identifiable rise in daily water usage. If you walk into a semi-used or unused room and smell a musty odor, there could be a leak in the area, and itвЂ™s best to have it checked out by a plumbing contractor, like our plumbers and pipe liners at NuFlow. Just because no one goes into the room doesnвЂ™t mean the pipes behind the walls canвЂ™t develop leaks. You smell a musty or wet smell in a particular area of the building. This can happen if a water heater or boiler has a blowout or if a pipe in the ceiling has a leak. When this happens, the water leak is so severe that itвЂ™s creating puddles on the floor. If you see water spots outside of an area that contains water-using appliances, like bathrooms, kitchens and pool or hot tub rooms, you may have a leak. You see water spots in areas that should be dry. This is definitely an indication that you have a leaking pipe. However, a closer look should tell you itвЂ™s mold. In this instance, youвЂ™ll see black spots on your ceiling tiles and walls that you may initially mistake for dirt. Sometimes, the mold will grow through the paint or ceiling tiles. You see black mold or black spots on walls or ceilings. If you were to pull off a bit of paint or wallpaper, youвЂ™d likely see yellow water spots or mold under the surface. Over time, that drywall becomes wet, and the paint or wallpaper can no longer stick to the surface. In this scenario, water drips or sprays out of the hidden pipe onto the backside of the drywall. Since pipes are located behind the walls, wet drywall and peeling or blistering paint can be a sign that you have water leaks. The wallpaper or paint is peeling or blistering.

#LOCATING HIDDEN WATER LEAKS FULL#

If your pipes are older than 20 years, itвЂ™s time to get a plumbing inspection to detect leaks before they become full pipe blowouts. Most plumbing pipes are designed to last between 20 and 60 years. The biggest indicator that you have undetected plumbing leaks is the age of your plumbing system. Your pipes are old or nearing the end of their expected useful lives. However, if you pay attention to your buildingвЂ™s water bills and remind your maintenance team to be on the lookout for the signs of a plumbing leak, you should be able to detect the problem and call a qualified plumbing technician before any serious damage has occurred. Small leaks behind walls may not leave many signs. As a property manager, you need to be able to quickly detect and stop hidden water pipe leakage in order to avoid costly water damage and high water bills. Unfortunately, this can make detecting leaks extremely difficult, especially if the leaks are small. For aesthetic reasons, modern buildings conceal the vast majority of the plumbing pipes within the walls.

Locating hidden water leaks