A leak can prove problematic in a number of ways. First, it's likely to cause structural damage to your home. If the leak is affecting wooden areas, they'll eventually start to rot and weaken. Second, your water bills are going to continue rising for as long as the leak lasts. Finally, if you don't address the leak quickly, you could find yourself dealing with a full-on plumbing disaster.
Rather than leave matters to chance, you should start looking for signs that a leak is occurring. You may find that some of these are on the outside of your property rather than the inside.
Sudden Pools of Water
Take a stroll around your garden and look to see if there are any pools of water. If you do find water pooling following rainfall, that may be due to water settling easier in that particular area. As such, it's best to wait until the weather has been dry for a few days before performing your inspection. If water begins pooling during dry weather, it may be due to an undetected leak.
Greener Patches of Grass
Depending on where you live, the colour of your grass should remain consistent throughout your garden. While looking for pools of water, see if there are patches of grass that look greener. Greener patches of grass can indicate that there is a leak in your sewage pipes. Much like manure, human faeces makes it easier for grass to grow. As a result, the grass above sewage pipes can appear greener and healthier.
Sewage Smells
If a sewage pipe has cracked and is leaking, you may find that your nose does a lot of the detective work for you. As you walk around your garden, you might start to notice sewage smells. Those smells could indicate that sewage is flooding into your lawn and rising upwards. For health and hygiene purposes, you should always contact a plumber if this happens.
Cracks to Paving
If a crack starts to appear in your paving where there wasn't one before, it may be due to a leak. Particularly heavy leaks can cause water to pool. Eventually, that water needs to find an escape, which can generate enough force to cause concrete to crack. If those cracks are particularly close to your property, you should seek the advice of a plumber as quickly as you can.
Plumbers can use underground water leak detection techniques to identify if there is a leak and where it's coming from. After they find the leak, they can perform necessary repairs. Calling on a professional ASAP may make it easier for you to claim back costs from your home insurance provider.
