Most leaks can be heard or seen, but some are difficult to detect. Your water meter may be your most useful tool in determining if you actually have a water leak on your property.

You can follow these steps to verify if you have a leak:

• Locate the water meter.
• Locate the water supply shut-off valve for your home or building. It can be outdoors or indoors and is commonly located where the main water pipe enters the building foundation. In a home, this is often near an outside faucet.
• Turn off all faucets, outlets and water-using appliances. Take steps to ensure no one else uses any water while you are conducting this test.
• Note the one-cubic foot dial on the water meter. There should not be any meter movement. After 30 minutes or more, take another look at the dial. If the dial has moved, especially a lot, you have an active leak within the water system. Now, close the main shut-off valve. If the indicator stops, your leak is inside the building. Check toilets and faucets. If the indicator continues to move when the shut-off valve is closed, you have an underground leak between the water meter and the shut-off valve, which should be repaired.

This test may not have tested the entire water system but will successfully test those parts of the system that were not isolated. You may have a pool, spa or fountain with the water supply shut off. Or a sprinkler system that runs on a timer that is currently off. Other testing will need to be done to test those systems for a possible leak.

If you’re filling your pool or spa more than twice a week or if you’re having a lot of trouble keeping the chemicals balanced, be aware that these are both indications of a possible leak. To be sure, you can try an evaporation test. This simple test can confirm the existence of a leak, even without bubbles in the water.

The Bucket Test. You will need a 5 gallon bucket, a tape measure, and a marker or piece of tape. Set the bucket in your pool or spa on the step or seat (try to avoid setting it on an in-floor cleaning head so it does not tip or get pushed off the step). The bucket MUST be in the water of the structure being tested to keep the water in the bucket the same temperature as the water in the structure.

Fill the bucket just a bit higher than the water level of the structure it’s in. Helpful hint: To keep the bucket from floating, you can add a rock to the bucket to weigh it down. Mark the bucket on the inside and outside at each water level. Be sure that the water is calm so you can get a good mark. Also make sure if your pool has an auto fill pot, or auto leveler, to turn this feature off. Your test is now running.

Wait 24 hours and come back with your tape measure, Measure the drop in water on the inside of your bucket from the mark. This is your 24 hour evaporation rate. Now measure the water drop from the mark on the outside of the bucket. This is how much water your structure has lost. Ideally these measurements should be the same or very close to the same. If there is a large difference, chances are very high that you have a leak. Contact Amazing Leak Detection today to schedule a Leak Test and Repair.

A suddenly sky-high water bill is an alert that something may be wrong on your property. It could be due to either a temporary jump in water usage from a newly installed pool, spa or fountain, or you may have a water leak on your property.

We recommend walking the property including all through your home. Shut off anything that uses water, toilets, appliances, faucets, etc. Also, shut off anything making noise like a TV or radio so you have a better chance of hearing water running from within the walls and ceilings. Once everything is off, and you’re sure no one else in the home will run any water, conduct our Water Meter test to help verify if you have a hidden leak.

Once you confirm that you have a leak or if you are still unsure, call us and we will be glad to come out and find and repair the cause. Your water bill will return to its normal range before you know it.