Drip. Drip. Drip. That’s not a good thing to hear in the stillness of the night.

Water leaks can range from mildly annoying to costing you hard-earned money on paying for wasted water. Unfortunately, not all water leaks are as obvious as a dripping faucet.

How do you find a water leak in your home? Read on to find out!

Is There a Leak?

Before you start hunting down a plumbing leak, take the time first to make sure there is one. This is easy to do by checking the water meter. Make sure all faucets are closed and no appliances that use water are running.

Your meter may have dials, a digital readout, or a spinning wheel. In any case, if there are numbers, they shouldn’t change. If there are dials or wheels, they shouldn’t move.

If you notice these changes and movements with no water on, you can bet that you have a leak.

How to Find the Leak

Once you’ve confirmed the presence of the leak, it’s time to put in the legwork and find it.

Outdoor leaks will generally show up as wet earth. Look for soggy spots, super green patches of the lawn, or pooling water in the meter box. If the leak is under a driveway or walkway, you may not be able to see a wet spot but the sinking pavement may crack or break.

Indoor leaks can be more complicated — or they can be super obvious such as when your kitchen floods. More subtle signs to watch for include:

• * Wet patches of carpeting (especially near walls)

• * Damp or washed-out looking walls or ceilings

• * Water stains on walls or ceilings

• * A musty, mouldy smell in the home (indicates wet materials and mould growth)

• * Peeling paint

• * Puddles of water around fixtures or appliances that use water

Keep in mind that rainwater and a leaky roof or drainage problems can also cause some of these signs.

When to Call a Professional

Most homeowners can handle fixing a leaky faucet or other simple plumbing repairs. But what if your problem is more complicated? Or you can’t even pinpoint the exact problem? You’ll need a licensed plumber to help find and repair your plumbing leaks.

You may have heard horror stories of plumbers digging up entire yards in the search for a leaking pipe. Don’t worry, those days are firmly behind us. Professionals these days have more sophisticated methods for detecting leaks.

Four common methods include:

• * Acoustic test: to hear escaping water

• * Tracer gas: replaces water with gas which can be more easily detected

• * Loss analysis: analyzing the loss of pressure and volume

• * Thermal imaging: using infrared cameras to find hot water leaks

Put Your Water Worries to Rest

Fixing your water leaks will not only save you money on your water bills but also help conserve one of Earth’s most precious resources. These reasons and more make it well worth it to call in a professional and put your water worries to rest!