Do you have water leaking where it shouldn’t be?
Like gas leaks, water leaks can be obvious or hidden and undetected. You may not know you have a leak until you notice your water bill is a lot higher than normal.
If you suspect you have a water leak, you can do a meter test to confirm.
Before you start, you have to make sure that all taps and toilets are turned off and not dripping, including washing machines and dishwashers. Disconnect hoses from garden taps and confirm the taps are not dripping. Check that there is not a trickle into your toilet bowl and if there is, turn off the water to the cistern. If you have a storage hot water tank, make sure the relief valve is not trickling or running, (if it is, this could explain your high water bill. Call us to have the valve replaced).
Once you are sure that nothing is dripping or running, make sure everybody knows not to turn any tap on or to flush a toilet and then check your water meter.
If any digit or dial is moving, you can be sure that you have a leak somewhere. If there is no obvious movement, take a photo of the meter digits and wait up to an hour, at which time you may take another photo.
If the water meter digits have not changed, it is safe to assume that you don’t have a burst water pipe. The leak must be from something else, like stormwater or sewer.
If the water meter digits have increased, you have a burst pipe somewhere. It could be in the ground, under the house or in a wall.
Click on the photo for more information from Sydney Water.
If that is the case, it is time to call a plumber. SB Plumbing Services is very experienced in this sort of thing and will be happy to help.