It might not be something anyone admits to – but there are some interior design problems that can be safely ignored.
Maybe the pipework under the bath could be tidier – or maybe you’ll get away with painting over that wallpaper instead of stripping it and tidying up the wall.
We’ve all side-stepped time-consuming issues – but there are some issues that just cannot be ignored, and water leaks are at the very top of the list.
If you suspect you’ve got a leak, it might be time to call in a leak detection specialist – but first, it’s worth understanding some of the symptoms that might suggest you’ve got a leak…
Mould
Mould is probably one of the most unsightly guests that water can invite to our homes. Whether it’s fine pale powder or stubborn black stains, mould always needs a source of moisture to take hold – and that can often mean you’ve got a leak you didn’t know about.
Generally, if mould is around your windows or in a bathroom area where you get a lot of condensation, wiping it away and ensuring good ventilation going forward will fix the issue. That said, when you start seeing mould in areas that should be dry, it’s important to do some further investigation.
High water bills
Increasingly, water bills are based on a home’s actual consumption, rather than the shared local ‘rates’ we used to pay. While actual use varies from house to house, your provider will usually be able to give you a rough idea of what you’ll expect to pay. If your actual bill is much higher, it could indicate that you’ve got a leak.
We tend to think of leaks as pouring through the ceiling or spraying out from under the kitchen sink – but in fact, many leaks come from cracked pipework that runs under our homes, which means the water leaks without any real symptoms within the house.
Staining
Leaking water doesn’t always encourage mould to grow – but it will almost always leave a dirty looking stain on walls, carpets, ceilings, or most other surfaces it comes into contact with. Normally, these stains will simply be watermarks that are showing up in plaster or wood – but sometimes the leak can be from a waste pipe, which leads to an altogether more unpleasant kind of stain.
If you see a mark develop on any of the ceilings, walls, or floors in your house, it’s important to seek a leak detection company’s help quickly, before the probably causes permanent damage.
What does a leak detection specialist do?
You could be forgiven for thinking a leak detection company will simply come to your home and start opening up floors and walls until they spot the leak – but actually, they work in a much more sophisticated way.
Specialist tools like infrared cameras and acoustic leak locators generally mean that detection can be carried out without any invasive work – so you don’t have to worry that finding the source of the problem will make a mess. In most cases, you won’t even have to move furniture or carpets.
If you’ve got one of the common symptoms of a leak, you should act sooner rather than later. No matter how much you wish otherwise, water isn’t a problem that ever fixes itself.
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