Checking for Leakage in Pipes

Pipe leakage issues are faced by everyone in some point of their lives. It is impossible to get rid of this menace because one cannot stop using pipes while living in their house. Pipe leakage issues are said to be a menace because once a pipe breaks it slowly and gradually starts eating and rotting away any material that is found near it, be it the walls, carpets or tiles.

Pipe leaks should be fixed as soon as they appear. Most people neglect the small cracks and split that form on the pipes. The water keeps dripping on and on and soon the cracks enlarge. But all this while, the leak has gone out of control and would have done damages to your house or its surroundings that are irreversible or irreparable or would cost you a fortune.

Even if people know how to mend a leaking pipe or can afford a plumber to help them out, they usually are not able to detect a leaking pipe. A drip somewhere they see is considered normal dripping as after all it’s a water pipe and thus naturally water has to flow out of it too. Generally there are just a few simple ways in which you can check for a broken pipe. Some of the methods are manual and require only close observation while others are more technical and require simple professional expertise and tools.

The first method is to make use of your senses. Look for any moldy or fungi covered areas. These are usually slimy green in color and can be detected easily. You might have to remove any carpeting or tiling to check for such a thing. Also use your sense of smell as damp areas usually have this distinct pungent smell of the stale mold and the dripping water which can help you locate the leak easily.

Another fairly easy and simple way is to use your math skills and common sense. If sometime you start getting an unreasonably high water bill for a month or when you turn on a faucet somewhere in your home and the water pressure is not the usual you can immediately conclude that you have a leak somewhere. To confirm this notion you can turn off the water supply in the prospective leaking pipe and take down the reading on your meter. After an hour or so, check the reading on your water meter again. If it has increased, you are definitely dealing with a leakage somewhere.

The next method is the line pigging method. For this method you will need special water detection equipment or sensor knows as the pig device- as the name suggests. This device is inserted into the pipe and then moved all along it. Where a leak is found, it indicates to that specific area. Line pigging method works on the basic scientific principles and methods of flow rate changes and acoustic changes.

Once you have located the leak using one of the above methods, you can call in a plumber to help you out with the fixing.