How Do I Determine What Pipe is Leaking in My Home?
Pipe leak detection is something that can be very frustrating, especially when you’re worried about the effects it will have. It can be hard to think about how you should go about finding the leak while you are thinking about the damage being done because of all the water. The best thing to do tends to be contacting a local plumber to provide this type of service as soon as possible.
The sooner they can come and take a look at your pipes, the sooner they can get started and the less water damage you will have in your home.
How Plumbers Look For Pipe Leaks in Your Southeast Florida Home
Our Southeast Florida Weather
While it may not seem like weather has a big influence on your pipes, it does. Heat and cold can cause the materials that comprise your pipes to expand and contract. This can cause problems in plumbing joints, but also may cause problems with the pipes themselves. Especially if they are older pipes and original to the build of an older home. The older your home gets, the more likely it is that pipes will need repairs or replacement, regardless of how well you care for them. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent the weather from taking a toll on them.
Helium and Hydrogen
Helium and Hydrogen might not be what you think about first when you think about leak detection. However, they are one of the least destructive ways for you to find a leak in your pipe. It entails the plumber pumping the gas into your pipes. They will then use gas detection tools to find a leak if there is one. This method can work through walls, asphalt, and concrete. It requires little damage to anything surrounding the pipes or in the general area and is most often found to be the easiest and fastest method in pipe leak detection.
Smoke
Done the same way as with helium and hydrogen, smoke can also be used in pipe leak detection. The drawback is that helium and hydrogen will move through the water to find a leak. Smoke doesn’t have that ability. It moves through the pipe and finds any cracks or holes. Professionals use this method when the homeowner smells sewage, but they cannot find the leak. A non-toxic smoke is used, and the lasting effects are minimal and usually unnoticeable.
Cameras
Plumbers use cameras to find leaks in pipes, all the time. Similar to something you might see in an action film, they use long and flexible cables to run a camera down the pipe. This makes it easy for them to find any crevasses from the inside out. They can maneuver these cameras around corners and, if the pipe is large enough, they have cameras on wheels. A professional can use a remote control to move the camera and they are an effective pipe leak detection method.
Eyes
While it might seem like something anyone can do, plumbers can find leaks just by looking at the pipe. Professionals have had enough experience and training to know what to look for and can spot it when most others can’t. They also know the tell-tale signs of something that will form, like another crack or hole. There are different things to look for in a systematic search to sniff out a leak. They will notice things that will tell them where a leak has formed and where it has caused damage. These tend to be things that most people don’t know to look for or even know what they would look like.
Experience
Knowing plumbing systems as well as they do and having seen as many leaks as they have, a plumber is a pipe leak detection system within themselves. They have hundreds of different experiences and stories about leaks and broken seals. They will use anything they can to avoid tearing into your ceiling or wall. That includes years of experience and knowledge and any tools they have available. They want to cause as little destruction to your house as possible, a sentiment you are sure to share.
While all of the methods might sound easy, they are best left in the hands of a professional. In some cases, you may not be ready for the size of the crack or hole, and you don’t want to be too close to it. You also don’t want to use the wrong gas or smoke or even make the problem worse.
All of the pipe leak detection aside, once you find the leak, there is still the problem of fixing it. This is where you will need a professional, and it is best to have them detect the problem; so that they know where it is, what it entails and how to handle it.
Just stand back and let the professionals handle it.
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