How to Deal With Unexpected Water Leaks in Your Melbourne Home

Are you wondering what you should do when there’s an unexpected water leak in your home? If not dealt with sooner rather than later, the results could be catastrophic! What’s worse, water leaks always seem to happen after hours or on weekends when help doesn’t seem as readily on hand.

If you suspect there’s a problem you need to book a service called water leak detection Melbourne plumbers offer—and do it as soon as possible. This prevents the issue from escalating and water potentially flooding your home or garden. But, what signs should you look out for and when is the right time to call the plumber?

Keep reading as we share useful tips for dealing with water leaks in your Melbourne home.

5 Tips to Help You Deal with Water Leaks at Home

1. Have an Emergency Plumber on the Speed Dial

You need to call a plumber promptly if a pipe bursts, the toilet gets blocked or you see a water leak getting worse. Unfortunately, these water problems often happen when you least expect them and at the most inconvenient times too! Having the name of a reliable emergency plumber on speed dial means you have easy access to a professional even if you’re panicking.

With an emergency plumber, the situation can be brought under control quickly before serious damage is done to your home’s infrastructure, furniture, carpeting and other household contents. By fixing a small water leak before it turns into a cascade you will be saved the drama of paying for expensive repairs and replacements.

2. Know the Signs of Water Leaks

Knowing the signs of water leaks allows you to sort out the problem before it gets out of hand. Not all water leaks are obvious from the start but if you notice any of the following, call in a plumber:

• Sounds of running water: If you hear these sounds coming from your walls or floors there could be a water leak in one of the hidden pipes.
• Drop in water pressure: Lower water pressure could indicate a leak in one of the underground pipes.
• Running water meter: When you switch off everything in the house but your water meter keeps running, this is a sign that there’s a leak in one of your pipes.
• Escalating water bills: If your water bills suddenly start to increase monthly, you need to check for hidden water leaks.
• Puddles and dampness: Wet walls, fungus, mould and mildew growth in areas such as the kitchen, bathroom or laundry could indicate there’s a water leak.
• Increase in insect activity: If you suddenly notice more bugs taking up residence in your home, it could be because there’s a water leak somewhere.

Water leakage isn’t always easy to detect but stay vigilant and you may just prevent a disaster.

3. Switch Off the Main Water Supply

If an unexpected water leak isn’t detected in time and your home is flooded, you need to switch off the main water supply immediately. It’s important to familiarise yourself with the location of the stop valve so you don’t waste time hunting it down during an emergency!

While you could try to identify the source of the water leak the best solution is to call a plumber. They can perform a water detection test to locate the issue and fix the problem properly. While you’re waiting for the plumber to arrive, start removing excess water to prevent further damage to your home and contents.

4. Book a Water Leak Detection Test

When there are signs of a water leak in your home you need to contact an experienced plumber to assess the situation. It’s important to book with a plumbing company that uses the latest leak tracing technology as this speeds up the process of finding the problem and solving it efficiently and quickly. 

Find an accredited plumber in your local area who is equipped to conduct water leak detection tests and offer services such as repairs and replacements. Working with the professionals that get it right the first time saves you time and money while preventing costly damages to your home.

5. Know What Causes Water Leakage in the Home

If you know what can cause a water leakage on your property, you can do something about it to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. Here are some reasons why a water leak may occur:

• Rusting water pipes
• Invasive tree roots damaging or blocking underground pipes
• High water pressure putting stress on pipe joints, connectors and mixer taps
• Unchecked water hammer breaking pipe joints and flexible connectors

If you suspect any of these things are happening in your home, call a plumber to perform a water leak detection test.

Final Thoughts

Water leaks can cause serious and costly damage to your residential property. The growth of mould can result in ailments such as sneezing, coughing, asthma and respiratory infections. You can prevent all of this from happening by booking a water leak detection test with a professional Melbourne plumbing company. Be proactive—it’s the best strategy!

Kenneth

Kenneth is a proud native of sydney, born and raised there. However, he pursued his education abroad and studied in Australia. Kenneth has worked as a journalist for almost a decade, making valuable contributions to prominent publications such as Yahoo News and The Verge. Currently, he serves as a journalist for The Hear Up, where he focuses on covering climate and science news. You can reach Kenneth at [email protected].