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Nobody checks the water meter now and then to find out water leaks in the underground pipe. But we should! And if the slab leak happens, it will damage not only the personal possessions but also the structural integrity of the house!
If you are facing this worst nightmare, first you have to be sure of it. Here, you can learn how to find leaks in underground water pipes and save the house!
Find Leak with Water Meter
Water meters are an easy way to find the leak. With the leak indicator or without it, the process is short and simple!
Method 1: Meters with Water Leak Indicator
1. Water Meter Check
The first thing you need to do when it comes to checking if there is any leak in the underground water pipe is to check the water meter. If you check the water meter for learning about water usage, it will be easy for you to understand if there is any leak or not.
In this case, you must shut off the main valve. With this process, it’s easier to learn about the water pipe leak when you can’t go underground.
2. Switch off the Water Valve
Here, your first job is to certify that no water is running inside the home. For this, you have to certify that the main water valve of your home is shut off. Once you are done, you have to take a look at the water meter of your house.
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3. Search the Leak Indicator
Here, you have to search for the leak indicator. If you are new to water meter use, check for a small red indicator light on the water meter. This light is a warning sign for the users. In some cases, these days, the indicator light can be white or blue too.
However, the best way to learn that it’s the warning sign is to check the shape. The shape of the leak indicator is a triangle.
4. Check the Indicator Movement
If there is any use of water inside the house, the indicator will spin. But here, as we have mentioned, you have shut the water already. So here, the triangle-shaped indicator will not spin, it will be stable. Check if the indicator light is still spinning or not. And if it is still on the movement, unfortunately, you leak the underground pipe.
Method 2: Meters with No Leak Indicator
Well, we have described how to check search if there is any leak in the underground water pipe through the indicator light of the water meter.
But have you ever seen the water meters of the old houses? Let us tell you, some of the water meters don’t have a leak indicator. Then what to do to check for the leak if you don’t have a leak indicator in your water meter?
1. Note down the Reading
You have to go analog this time. Work manually and get your hands on the meter reading. Check the meter reading when the water valve is switched on and take a note of the reading.
2. Switch off the Water Valve
Now, go to the house and switch off the main water valve. Keep it like this for about 30 minutes to one hour. And after this period, you have to go to the water meter once again.
3. Check the Reading
Just like before, you have to take a look at the reading. The reading won’t change if the water valve is switched off as no water is running. But if you see any change in the water meter, you have to learn that there is a leak in the underground water pipe! Take action immediately.
Manual Methods of Indicating Leaks
Check the Yard
The yard can tell a lot about the house- said everybody that has a yard. And this is true for the underground pipe leak too. A very common method of understanding if there is any leak in the underground water pipe is to check the soil of the yard.
When you leak underground, there’s a chance that any specific part of the soil in the yard will be wet. Check the backyard and the front part of the house. Search for the wet area. If you find one, check it after every two days. If the area is still wet, the reason behind this might be the underground water pipe leak.
At times, when you find sinkholes in the yard, you have to diagnose it a bit more to learn if there is any leak or not. If you have veggies or other plants in the yard, check them properly. When you see that a specific area of the yard has thick and lush grass or veggies, there can be a water leak in the underground pipe.
Check the Water Supply
We all know that there can be rust or dirt in the water supply for so many reasons. But one of the reasons is the leaks in the underground pipe. If the water supply is bringing rusty and dirty, check it a little more. Also, have a look at the water. If there is air, you can be almost sure that the leaking pipe is causing this.
Water Pressure
Whenever there is a leakage in the underground water pipe, the water pressure will give you a warning. At times, you might see a reduction in the water pressure. It can happen for so many reasons but if you see a severe decrease that is noticeable, the water pipe in the underground might leak. If the flow volume of the water is low, go through the underground pipe leak detecting services. They will solve the issue for you!
Wrap Up
To fix the underground leaking pipe, first, you must know that the pipe is leaking. But it’s tough to check this on your own because nobody does that! In this case, keep your eyes and ears open. And right when you know that there’s a leak, grab one of the services that can help you! You can’t let this issue go on, trust us!
Pipe and cable locating has the most up-to-date in Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), GPR scanning workers can assist you in underground service detection.
