Early signs of a plumbing leak can often go unnoticed. Oftentimes, unusually high water bills may be the first thing you notice before realizing you may have a plumbing leak. Plumbing leaks can happen in the pipes that supply water coming into your home, or they can happen in the pipes carrying wastewater out of your home. Because both piping systems are hidden away in the walls and underneath your home, it can be easy to overlook and not pay attention to what’s going on with them. Plumbing leaks can lead to a whole host of issues in your home, so taking preventative measures and knowing what to look for when trying to spot one is important. Water leaks are rather typical. Plumbing repairs are annoying because they are frequently concealed behind walls, kept out of sight, and rendered invisible. When water begins to leak out of fractures or fissures in the pipes, it is impossible to see. That’s why it’s important to be aware of the 7 signs you have a plumbing leak.



Thankfully, you don’t need to tear down your walls to figure out whether you need a plumber. Water leaks in your home can be detected in a number of ways. Conscious homeowners who watch out for these signs may be able to have things fixed before the harm gets out of hand. The likelihood of a future problem becoming more serious increases with the length of time it takes for these indications to be recognized.

They tend to start off small, and before you know it, they become nightmares. Here are 7 signs you have a plumbing leak:
 
• Unusually high water bill

• Ceiling stains

• Low water pressure

• Mold or mildew

• Damaged walls or flooring

• Damaged wallpaper or paint

• Water sounds
 

Unusually High Water Bill

This one is pretty obvious. If you’ve been accustomed to paying a certain dollar range for your water bill each and every month, and suddenly you have a spike, this is a sign you have a plumbing leak. If you recently moved into an older house, odds are those old pipes haven’t been inspected to check for plumbing leaks. Oftentimes with older houses, there will be small pinhole leaks in piping, as well as rust, clogs, and overall deterioration of these piping systems.

As with any small problem in life that is left unnoticed, these small pinhole leaks can become much larger as water use increases. And it really doesn’t take long for that small leak to become a big leak. If right off the bat you notice that your water bill is significantly higher in this home as opposed to your last, you should consider reaching out to a professional plumber to take a look at your plumbing system.
 

Ceiling Stains

Walking into your home and seeing a yellowish-brown stain on your ceiling isn’t exactly the “welcome home” you’d like as a homeowner. Take away the aesthetic letdown, and what you are really faced with is a sign you have a plumbing leak. Pipes that run through your attic may at some point become damaged for any variety of reasons, and when even the smallest leak occurs, water will drip and drip onto your ceiling. This causes pooling in the area beneath the leak.

That pool of water then begins to rot away at your ceiling’s material, causing that distinct discoloration and rings of stains left behind as water evaporates and then continues to drip from the pipes as water flows through them.
 

Low Water Pressure

Isn’t it the worst when you hop into the shower, only to have the water pressure feel as though someone is just pouring a water bottle over your head? How about when you want to use your faucet hose to spray down a particularly dirty dish? Low water pressure throughout your home is a clear sign you have a plumbing leak.

Low water pressure occurs when you have leaky pipes because that leak is not allowing full water flow to the point of exit, and this can occur in one part of your home where pipes leading into the house are damaged, or in every area of your home.
 

Mold or Mildew

Imagine you suddenly start smelling something musty in the air of your home. You haven’t been cooking anything, the dog isn’t wet. So where could that smell be coming from? It could be that smell is being caused by mildew growing in areas of your home that have a plumbing leak. As mildew begins to spread, and it can spread pretty quickly, that musty smell in your home will become increasingly more pungent. Another sign that sometimes coincides with mildew is the presence of mold. Mold is a fast-spreading bacteria that feeds on the moisture of different structural materials.

Mold can also cause you to feel all kinds of uncomfortable symptoms such as sneezing, itchy or sore throat, coughing, runny nose, and watery eyes, and if the mold becomes bad enough, you can actually become quite ill. It is important to get a professional plumber out immediately if you find mold in your home. This could be a sign you have a plumbing leak.
 

Damaged Walls or Flooring

If you start to notice cracks or drooping in your walls or ceiling, you may just have a plumbing leak. Drywall will begin to get a soft, bubble, and eventually crack and crumble apart. This can end up being quite a costly fix, as the drywall will have to be torn out, then patched and painted. If you start to notice your floors are becoming soft or begin staining in places where that probably shouldn’t be happening…you guessed it, it could be one of the 7 signs you have a plumbing leak.
 

Damaged Wallpaper or Paint

Paint tends to bubble and droop when there is moisture coming from within the walls. Wallpaper can become discolored or even begin to peel off the wall if there is moisture present from within the walls. Both are signs of a plumbing leak. These can oftentimes be subtle and hard to miss, so giving your paint and wallpaper a good once over every now and then is a good step in taking preventative measures associated with having to repair plumbing leaks.
 

Water Sounds

You turn the water off. You hear little water drops coming from the walls or ceiling. You hear loud bangs and crashes. You hear water running through your pipes, even though nobody in the house is using a water fixture. Your house may be haunted, or it could just be one of the 7 signs you have a plumbing leak. Bubbling noises coming from sinks and toilets could be signs of smaller leaks, where the louder sounds could be signs of more intense damage to your piping systems.
 

7 Warning Signs You May Have A Plumbing Leak

Act Quick if You Have a Plumbing Leak!

A leaking pipe can do serious harm to your house and your finances. Fortunately, there are several obvious warning signals to watch out for. Be alert for musty odors in the kitchen, laundry area, or bathrooms. Keep an eye out for any stains or obvious mold that shouldn’t be there.

The professionals here at Leak Science are well-equipped and knowledgeable in detecting if you have a plumbing leak in your home. If you experience any of these 7 signs you have a plumbing leak, pick up the phone and give us a call to check things out. Our goal is to make sure a plumbing leak doesn’t become a plumbing disaster for you.