The leaks that do the most damage are usually the ones you can't see. A supply line dripping inside a wall, a slab leak under the foundation or a slow leak under the kitchen sink can run for weeks before anything looks wrong — and by then the damage to drywall, cabinets and flooring can cost far more than the repair itself.
1. A water bill that jumped. If your usage hasn't changed but the bill has, water is going somewhere. Compare this month to the same month last year rather than to last month, since summer irrigation in the Inland Empire skews the numbers.
2. The sound of running water when everything is off. Stand in a quiet house with every faucet, toilet and appliance off. A faint hiss or trickle in the walls or floor is a strong sign of a pressurized leak.
3. Warm spots on the floor. If one patch of tile or slab is warmer than the rest, the hot water line under the slab may be leaking. This is one of the most common slab-leak symptoms in this area.
4. Stains, bubbling paint or soft drywall. Water moving through a wall or ceiling leaves yellow or brown stains, makes paint bubble and drywall soft. It rarely appears right where the leak is, so don't assume the leak is directly above the stain.
5. Musty smells or mildew that keeps returning. Persistent mildew in a cabinet, closet or along a baseboard means something is staying wet.
6. Low water pressure at one or more fixtures. A drop in pressure can mean water is escaping before it reaches the tap — or that a corroded pipe is restricting flow. Either one deserves a look.
7. A water meter that moves with everything off. Turn off every fixture, note the meter reading, wait 30 minutes without using water, and check again. If the number changed, you have a leak somewhere between the meter and your fixtures.
What to do: shut off the water at the fixture valve or the main, take a photo of what you're seeing and call a plumber. Finding the source quickly is the whole game — the sooner a leak is located and repaired, the smaller the bill for everything around it.
PKA Plumbing locates and repairs leaks in Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Fontana, San Bernardino, Ontario and across the Inland Empire. Call or text (951) 333-7410 for a free estimate.