Indoor Household Water leaks- How and where those happen

Have you experienced a significant increase in your water bill recently? Or does water keep collecting on your lawn, making it muddy and slippery?

You see, this is a common problem in our households these days. And, the reason behind this is the water leakage. According to a study, an average household loses about 6,000-10,000 gallons of water every year due to indoor leaks.

So, you realize, water leakage is much more frequent than you thought. As the water leaks from the pipes, it will continue to add to your water bills.

Also, there is a chance that germs from the soil can infiltrate into your tap water in this way. So, it is vital to fix the leakage as soon as you figure it out.

But, the only problem is to detect the point from where the water is leaking. There are several points and interconnections which are particularly vulnerable.

In this post, we will dig into this common household problem. We will also point out the various types of water leaks and how those happen. So, let’s find out together.

What is water leakage?

Water leakage is the process in which water leaks from the distribution lines or pipes available. The point of leak ranges from the main service line to the drippings from the tap.

There are multiple reasons behind water leaks into your household water flow system. The primary reason is that the system is too old and requires some renovation.

As you know, most of our houses get water from the municipal water supply. Most of these water supply systems are very old. As a result, the quality depreciates over time.

Unlike the electrical power lines, the water supply lines remain underground. Therefore, it goes through only a handful of maintenance throughout its lifetime.

So, there might be some leaks in the main supply lines. The leaks can also appear in your household lines or fittings.

That’s not all. The leakage might occur in the form of drippings from the taps at our homes. Loose valves and fittings mainly cause this type of hazard.

With hindsight, this might seem minuscule. But, if you project it over a long period of time, it will add up to be a big waste.

Water might also leak through reverse osmosis or RO water filters. We’ll discuss details about that later. In short, water leaks mean when water gets wasted with or without your knowledge.

Common points where water leaks happen mostly

Now, let’s check out the locations where it is more likely to leak. As we’ve discussed earlier, the leak can occur anywhere from the main supply line to the faucet of your filter.

The most vulnerable locations are as below-

1. Main water supply lines
2. Toilets
3. Faucets or showers
4. RO water filters
5. Water humidifiers
6. Water cooler
7. Water humidifiers
8. Pools

So, let’s elaborate on those, one after the other.

Leaks from main water supply lines

The first source of household water leakage happens to be from the water supply mains. If the leak is big enough, it will cause you a tremendous amount of water waste over time.

Even a tiny hole can do as much harm. But, as the supply lines remain underground, most of the time, the leak remains undetected. 

The causes of leakage are pretty straightforward. When the pipes get aged, those will depreciate, and the quality will go down. As a result, tiny cracks start to appear over the surface.

The problems intensify due to pressure variation caused by the soil portion over it. If the stress over a particular part is too high, it will cause the rupture to get bigger in size.

As a result, the water starts leaking everywhere. Moreover, there are irrigation sprinklers at places over the lawn. Even those tubes and siphons can cause leakage due to low quality.

So, you see, there are multiple reasons behind leakages occurring at main supply lines. There are multiple ways to detect those.

The first one is to find out by checking the whole house water meter. 

• First, close all the taps, showers, and other valves. 
• Then, check the whole house water meter.
• If the water meter still keeps on registering values, it means that there is a leak.

Another way to find out the leak is to look for muddy places around your lawn. If water keeps on collecting on a single point, chances are there is a puncture nearby.

In this fashion, you can detect leakage in water supply mains in your house.

Water Leaks from toilets 

Water leaking from the toilets is another source of high water wastage. In reality, this one causes more water to go down the drain than anything else.

The water leakage from the toilet can happen in a variety of ways. There are several key points where the water might escape. 

But, let’s first take a quick look at how a toilet works. There is a refill tube, an overflow tube, a flapper, and a handle. The handle remains connected to the flapper with a chain.

As soon as you move the handle, the flapper goes up. As a result, water rushes from the bowl through the overflow tube. 

Then, water from the main supply line gets into the bowl through the refill tube. So, you see, there are several points from where the water can leak.

• If you continue to hear water running down the toilet, that is the indication of water leakage. One of the reasons behind this could be an old flapper.
• As the flapper gets old, it might get loose. It will, in turn, keep water running down. Also, if the chain between the handle and flapper is too tight, the flapper might remain open all the time.
• Due to this, gallons and gallons of water will get wasted. Another reason behind leakage might be a leaky flush valve. And, this one is particularly relevant for old toilets, you can imagine.
• On the other hand, cracks in the porcelain base can convolute your water leakage problem. 

So, you realize, if you aren’t careful enough, toilets can be a factor behind a massive water bill.

Water leaking from faucets and showerheads

Another type of leak that gets ignored much more often is leaking through the faucets and showerheads. In fact,  it is quite natural to neglect the drippings from the taps.

But, as you project it further, it doesn’t remain as simple an issue. To reassure you, we experimented on our own. We took a leaky faucet. 

We placed a jug under it that can hold 1 gallon of water. The faucet loses at a rate of one drop of water every three seconds. It took about six and half hours to fill up the gallon.

At this rate, approximately 1350 gallons of water will get wasted every year through that leaky faucet. So, you see, over a long period, those tiny droplets can be significant.

Another independent research shows that about 50% or more households in the US have at least one leaky tap, faucet, showerhead, or valve. 

As you add those numbers on the go, you get the big picture. Gallons and gallons of water are getting wasted in this fashion every year.

• So, it is time you took care of those drippings on your kitchen sink. These types of leaks mostly happen when you overdo the tightening of your faucet.
• As a result, the seal gets damaged, and the water starts dropping. So, be careful as you shut off the faucet. There’s no need to rush it.
• Also, make sure that you’re using Teflon tapes at the joints. That will make sure the system lasts longer. 
• Last but not least, if the problem persists further, contact a plumbing expert and fix it.