Not every leak leaves a puddle. Some sit inside a wall, under a floor or below the garden for months, quietly adding to your water bill and damaging your home.
The good news is there are usually signs. Here’s what to look for, a simple test you can do yourself, and what to do next.
Seven signs of a leak you can’t see
- Your water bill has gone up. If your usage hasn’t changed but the bill has, water is going somewhere.
- Damp patches or stains. On walls, ceilings or skirting boards, especially ones that grow or come back after drying.
- Bubbling or flaking paint. Water behind the paint pushes it away from the wall.
- Warm spots on the floor. Often a hot water pipe leaking under tiles or a slab.
- A musty smell or mould with no obvious cause. Constant moisture behind a surface is a common reason.
- Low water pressure that’s crept up on you. A leak in the supply line can reduce flow to the taps.
- The sound of running water when everything’s off. A faint hiss or trickle in a quiet house is worth investigating.
A simple test you can do
Your water meter is the easiest way to check for a leak.
- Find your meter. It’s usually near the front boundary, often in a small box in the footpath, garden bed or lawn. On older North Shore homes it can be hidden under leaf litter or behind a hedge.
- Turn off every tap and water-using appliance in the house. Don’t run the dishwasher or washing machine.
- Write down the meter reading, or take a photo of it.
- Don’t use any water for an hour or two.
- Check the meter again. If the number has moved, water is escaping somewhere.
If the meter moves, check the toilets first. A cistern that keeps trickling into the bowl is the most common culprit, and the easiest to fix. [Link: Leak and pipe repairs]
If you’re in a unit, your meter may be shared with the building. Your strata or building manager can help.
Why the damp patch is rarely the leak
Water travels. It runs along pipes, joists and the back of walls before it shows up. So the stain on your ceiling might be coming from a pipe a metre or two away.
That’s why guessing gets expensive. Cut into the wall where the stain is, and you may find nothing but wet plaster.
How we find hidden leaks
We track leaks down with non-invasive equipment, so we’re not pulling your walls apart to look.
- Thermal imaging. A thermal camera shows temperature differences behind walls and floors. Hot water leaks and damp areas stand out.
- Acoustic detection. Listening equipment picks up the sound of water escaping from pressurised pipes, even under a slab.
Once we’ve pinpointed the leak, we open up only what’s needed to reach it, repair it, and leave the area clean.
Don’t leave it
A hidden leak rarely fixes itself. Left alone, it can rot timber, damage plaster and flooring, grow mould, and in a unit, cause damage to the home below. The sooner it’s found, the smaller the repair.
Think you’ve got a leak?
Call Peter on 0403 404 307 or send a photo of the damp patch. If the meter test shows water moving, mention that too. It helps us narrow things down
