How to Find the Source of Water Leaks - Wisler Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, & Electrical

Let’s assume that someone already knows that they have a water leak. (The leak might have made a stain on the wallboard or produced a dripping sound.) Here are a few pointers to help pinpoint exactly where the leak is coming from.

One thing to consider is the fact that water is going to follow the path of least resistance. I’ve seen a stain show up in the ceiling of a home’s basement that was actually caused by a leak all the way up in the second floor. This happens because a lot of pipes run vertically, from ceiling to floor. Water that leaks from the top of a pipe can run all the way down to the bottom, so don’t assume that the leak is right where the water stain is showing.

The other thing I’d recommend is to listen carefully to see what the leak sounds like. If the cause of a stain is a water line leak, you might be able to hear a spraying sound nearby. A constant dripping sound is also more than likely a water line. If it’s a sporadic drip accompanied with an area that gets wet and dries up, it’s usually related to a drain. Water lines have water in them all the time and they’re always under pressure, whereas drains are only filled with water when they are being used. You might want to pay attention to the water meter outside your house, too. If you’re not using any water and the meter is still spinning, that’s an indicator of a leak somewhere.

You’re definitely going to be ahead if you get support from someone who knows how plumbing systems are put together and how the pipes run in a home instead of tearing into a wall yourself and hoping to pinpoint the problem. If you have a leak and want a professional to take care of it, the process is pretty simple. Give our office a call at 540-483-9382 or request an appointment online and we’ll schedule a visit with a 2 hour appointment window.

We do have a service fee of $79 to bring a technically capable, well-stocked truck to your home that’s ready to do the work right then and there. We’ll be prepared to give you a Straightforward Price once we diagnose the issue and know what we need to do. There are some occasions with a water leak where we do have to open up a wall (if we need extra information to locate the issue, aside from our knowledge of the whole plumbing system). But normally we’ll come out and be ready to solve the problem right at the first visit.