How to check for a leak?
There are some signs you have a leak that are easy to spot. These include:
- Ceilings or walls have wet areas
- Noises coming from your plumbing system
- Driveways have constant wet patches
- Low water pressure
- Damp patches within your home or driveway
- Mould on ceilings and walls
- A hissing or knocking noise coming from the pipes in your home
If you have a meter, you can also use that to find and locate leaks.
Checking for a leak with a meter
Before you start, make sure you won’t need to use any water for 1 hour. You may also want a cloth to wipe your meter clean so that you can see all the numbers clearly.
- Make sure all your appliances (like the washing machine and dishwasher) and taps are switched off
- Find your water meter, usually in the footpath at the front of your home
- Read all of the dials on your meter (including the red numbers) - small leaks will show on your dials, not numbers
- Wait 1 hour and take another reading
If your numbers have changed
You might have a leak, so the next step is to work out where it's coming from.
You can do this by repeating the test, but first turn off your internal stop tap (usually underneath the kitchen sink).
If the numbers on the meter dials haven’t changed, the leak is likely to be inside your home (and you'll need to call in a plumber to fix it).
If they have changed, the leak is likely to be on your supply pipe (the pipe between your external meter and your internal stop tap).
If your numbers haven't changed
If the numbers on the meter dials haven’t changed between each reading, you probably don’t have a leak.
However, it may be worthwhile checking to see if you have a small leak that may not have shown up on your meter. To do this we’d recommend that you do another leak check overnight.
Take a meter reading last thing at night and another first thing in the morning, just remember not to use any water, like flushing the toilet or turning on any taps.
Who's leak is it?
Find out who's responsible for repairing a leak by using our simple guide to pipe ownership. 'Customer leaks' are the leaks that are found on customers' pipes.
Leak repair contribution
We may be able to help with the cost of your leak repair
What do I do if I've found a leak?
Wherever you've found a leak, please let us know by giving us a call on 0344 346 2020 or by filling out the form below. We're thankful for everyone who does.
One of our highly-trained leak detectors will come out and pinpoint the exact location of the leak. From there, we'll explain the next steps and who's responsible for the repair.