Homeowner responsibilities
Basement flooding
Checking for leaks
Common leak culprits
Cost of leaks
Pipe maintenance

Toilets

A quick and easy method to check for a toilet leak is to place a bit of food colouring into the toilet tank. Wait 30 minutes - if the food colouring appears in the bowl, then a leak is present.

Replacing the flapper can generally eliminate toilet leaks.

Also check to see if the water level in the tank is below the overflow tube. If it isn’t, this will cause water to needlessly go right down the drain. The level of water should be ½ inch to 1 inch below this tube.

Please consult your owner’s manual for more information, or contact a licensed repair person before attempting to make any repairs.

Underground sprinkler system

You may be able to tell your underground sprinkler system is leaking by surveying the area the system covers. If there are particularly overgrown or green areas of turf, soggy areas around spray heads and above ground hoses, or jammed spray heads and torn hoses, the sprinkler system may have a leak.

Some steps to take in order to check for a leak in the underground sprinkler system are:

• Check the leak detector on the meter to ensure that it is not moving.
• Turn the water on to the sprinkler system
• Make sure all sprinkler hears and zones are operating properly
• Make sure all zones are shut down.
• Check leak detector on meter again. If moving, there is a leak in the sprinkler system.

For more information, contact a lawn care or irrigation specialist.

Primer lines

A primer line is a tube which connects to either the laundry taps or to a toilet. A primer line keeps water in the basement floor drain trap to prevent sewer gas from coming into the house.

There are three ways to tell if primer line is leaking:

1. If you hear a noise coming from the laundry taps or the toilet that has a primer line.
2. Look at the line and if you see water running through the clear tube you have a leak.
3. Lift the cover off of the basement floor drain and look to see if water is running into drain.

For more information, contact a licensed plumber.

Furnace humidifier

Furnace humidifiers usually have a direct connection to a home’s water system via copper pipe. The humidifier is made up of a series of components that introduce moisture from water and evaporate it into a warm air stream coming from the furnace.

There are two types of humidifiers - a drum and a flow through.

Drum humidifiers only use water from a tray and very rarely do they leak.

For a flow through model, water goes through a screen and down the drain.

To check for leaks, check to see if humidifier is running when furnace is off. If it is running, this means that the switch on the humidifier is stuck open. Also make sure the humidifier is not set too high. If it is set too high, this will cause higher water usage.

Please consult your owner’s manual for more information, or contact a licensed repair person before attempting to make any repairs.

Clothes washer

A visual inspection of your clothes washer will likely reveal the source of a leak. If you notice white residue around the pump mountings where the soapy water has evaporated and left a trail of dried soap, you may have a leak.

A leak in the door seal may drip water behind the front face of the machine. A leak down the front panel could be caused by an ineffective seal between the rubber and the door glass, which can be corrected by cleaning soap residue and sealing it. Otherwise, you may need to replace the seal entirely. Also, be sure to check the hoses that connect your machine to your home’s water pipes.

Please consult your owner’s manual for more information, or contact a licensed repair person before attempting to make any repairs.

Dishwasher

Dishwasher leaks are most likely to occur around the door or underneath the dishwasher itself. It is possible, however, that the dishwasher was loaded with soap not meant for dishwashers, which can cause it to overflow.

If the dishwasher is leaking at the door, the likely cause is the gasket - the rubber strip that seals the water in. A worn gasket should be replaced.

A dishwasher that isn’t level may also produce leaks. To check, open the dishwasher and place a carpenter’s level on the floor of the dishwasher or on its door. If it’s not level, adjust the feet, found along the front of the dishwasher.

If you notice damage in the tub, you can use an epoxy patch kit to repair it, following the kit’s directions. Also check any hoses to ensure that connections are tight and there are no signs of damage.

Please consult your owner’s manual for more information, or contact a licensed repair person before attempting to make any repairs.

Water filter system

If your home uses a water filter system, it may need to be back flushed. Wait while the back flush runs and after back flushing is completed, ensure the back flush valve is turned off. Then, check the water meter to ensure the leak detector (red triangle) is not moving.

Please consult your owner’s manual for more information, or contact a licensed repair person before attempting to make any repairs.

Water softeners

If you find that your water softener is running constantly, consult your owner’s manual and put your water softener on bypass.

Please consult your owner’s manual for more information, or contact a licensed repair person before attempting to make any repairs.

Outside Taps

In the fall to avoid a burst pipe during the winter, make sure that outside taps are turned off using the shut off valve inside your home.

Later in the spring, turn the shut off valve back on from inside your home and check the outside tap to ensure that it is not dripping.