Where to Check for Leaks

Think you may have a water leak?  Here’s some common places to check out:

• Toilets–flappers are a huge source of leaks inside the house.  Use dye tablets or food coloring to see if the flapper isn’t sealing property.  Dye tablets are available free of charge at the Utility Billing office or by requesting a leak kit.
  1. Drop a tablet or several drops into the tank (back part) of the toilet.  Do not flush.  Just wait.
  2. After at least 10 minutes, look to see if the coloring has appeared in the bowl of the toilet.  If it has, then you have a leaky flapper.
  3. The flapper simply needs to be replaced.  Make sure you know the brand of the toilet when you purchase a new flapper to replace the old one.
  4. See video below on how to do this!
  5. If the toilet is older than 2006 (meaning, was installed before 2006) it may be time to just replace it with a newer model.  Check out the Better Bathroom rebate!
• Hot Water Heaters–look to see if there is water in the pan under the hot water heater.  If so, there is a leak in the heater and it will need to be replaced or repaired.
• Irrigation Systems—
  1. Hire a licensed irrigation company to come check the system for leaks, or manually run though each station for several minutes looking for problems in the system.
  2. Sometimes a line break is easy to spot, as water will be pooling into the yard, street or on the sidewalk.  Often leaks aren’t visible thanks to the rocky, karst limestone area we live in.  The water flows down through the rock and we don’t see a pool of water on the yard.  You’ll need to look for signs of low water pressure, such as sprinkler heads not popping up.
• Water Softeners–listen for signs of recharging of the unit.  Typically they only recharge at night, if you constantly hear it, or hear it during daytime hours have a service company come check it.
• Faucets–constant running water or drips coming from bathroom or kitchen faucets, the bathtub, or outdoor hose bibs are leaks that need repairing.  Free plumbers tape (teflon tape) is available at the Utility Billing office, or by requesting a leak kit.
• Water Meter–if you see water coming out of the water meter, or in the meter box, call 512-218-5555 to have the City come check the meter for a leak.

Need to check your toilet for a leak?  Watch me show you how!