A practical guide to spotting, diagnosing, and managing water leaks early, saving you money, protecting your property, and conserving precious water.
Be Your Own Water Leak Detector
If you know how to detect and fix a leak, you can remedy issues swiftly before they worsen. The first is monitoring your monthly water usage. You will soon spot water losses. While leaks from dripping taps and toilets are easily spotted, underground or undetected leaks are often a bigger cause of waste. By being alert, you can save money and protect our water resources.
This guide covers water leak detection, repair, reporting, and prevention, as well as the nitty-gritty of costs and insurance.
Water Leakage Facts
- A faint hissing sound could indicate a water leak in a pipe.
- Water loss of 1 litre per minute amounts to about 40,000 litres a month.
- Tiny leaks with a diameter of 0.5cm can cause roughly 500 litres of water loss daily.
- Water leaks often start small, giving little to no indication on a water meter. As water pressure fluctuates, however, leaks can grow or even burst.
- Some water leaks will never be visible on the surface, regardless of their size.
Signs of Possible Water Leaks
If you experience any of the following plumbing issues, you are possibly dealing with a water leak:
- An unusually high water bill.
- A hissing sound in pipes or running water even if taps are closed.
- Drain blockages infiltrating building structures or underground.
- No water on your property.
- Moist, discolouring or stained walls, floors or ceilings.
- Pooling water inside or outside your house.
- A toilet filling when the sink tap runs.
The Leak Detection Guide
Whether you’re dealing with hidden plumbing issues, high water bills, or potential insurance claims, we’ll walk you through detection, reporting, repairs, prevention, costs, and coverage.
Detecting a Water Leak 101
Are there inexplicable changes to your monthly water consumption but no visible leak? Or are you experiencing any of the other water leak indicators as listed above? Here’s how you search for hidden leaks on your property:
Is the Leak Coming from My Pool?
Like finding a leak indoors, you can detect a leak in your pool through a process of elimination. In doing so, you will see if the pipe system, structural issues, or fittings are to blame.
- Check if the leak is active while the pump is active by switching it on and off. If the leak runs on the water meter while the pump is off, you may have a structural problem.
- Assess the bubbles coming from the pump and jets. If there are many bubbles, it could indicate a leak on the pool plumbing’s suction side, between the pump and the weir basket. This type of leak does not cause massive water loss but can lead to a slow leak even while the pump is off.
- Use food colouring in leak-prone areas, like jets, weirs, and pool lights. If the test area absorbs the colour, you have found your culprit.
- Inspect each panel of a solar-heated pool. Grommets can have fine fissures that cause water to run into gutters.
- If you cannot easily find the leak with the guidelines above, enlist the help of a leak expert to find underground leaks with tracer gas.
Suspecting a Leak Under a Concrete Floor?
There are several approaches to detecting a water leak sub-surface. Yet, they are more complex and depend on the property’s construction type. You will need a leak detection specialist’s assistance in such a situation.
In the meantime, you can isolate the general location of the leak by:
- Identifying the main water supply and water meter
- Creating a general mapping system by pinning the isolation valves and water entry points
- Shutting the isolation valve/s to make leak testing possible
After these steps, the specialist can use a leak detection method to find the affected area. Tracer gas, a penetrating underground scanner, or audio/sonic systems are sure to detect a leak with superior accuracy.
The expert leak detection team will then excavate a small area and repair the damaged or faulty pipe.
Time to get the professionals in?
Reporting a Water Leak
After completing the leak detection steps above and identifying whether the leak is on your property or beyond, you can assess where to report a water leak to arrange repairs.
Your options are:
1. The Municipality
The city council is responsible for leaks outside your property’s boundary.
Contact the City of Cape Town’s call centre at 0860 103 089 and choose option 2. Alternatively, visit the City of Cape Town online fault reporting page and create a service request or visit the City of Cape Town Water and Sanitation Department website.
2. A Private Leak Detection and Plumbing Specialist
You are responsible for addressing leaks within the boundary lines of your single-title private property unless you are indigent. This goes for residential, industrial, or commercial properties. In these cases, you should contact your preferred leak detection and plumbing professional to resolve the issue.
After urgently addressing the problem, the plumber will issue a report specifying the details of the leak.
Use the leak detection report to communicate water usage due to pipe bursts or leaks beyond your control to the city council to apply for a rebate. You can also use the leak detection report to assist in insurance claims.
3. The Body Corporate
In the case of private sectional-title properties, water leaks need to be reported directly to the body corporate or a trustee of the complex. These representatives (or a leak detection expert of their choice) should determine if the leak is on private, shared, or council property. You can then report the leak accordingly (either to the municipality or a private specialist) and continue with the necessary repairs.
Fixing a Water Leak
You can fix certain water leaks with basic skills. However, some leakage issues require advanced expertise. So, before taking to your toolkit, gauge the difficulty level of the necessary repairs. More complex leaks, such as those underground or within walls, are best left to a seasoned leak detector and plumber.
If you believe you are up to the task, here are three ways to fix an accessible water leak.
Remember to turn off the water supply and dry the area before working on pipes.
Plumbing Epoxy Putty: Temporary Solution
This temporary fix is ideal for stopping a leak while waiting for the plumber to arrive or purchasing the necessary supplies to repair the pipe.
Clamping: For Small Leaks Only
Slip Coupling: Replaces the Damaged Section
If the leak is too complicated for you to fix, our professional plumbing team can help!
Reducing Water Leaks
Rainfall and dam levels vary in South Africa, making water a scarce resource. Being water-wise is vital, so here are ways to limit the chance of water wastage at your home or business.
- Review your water usage monthly to discover leaks quickly.
- Regularly check for pipe leaks on your property and repair them swiftly.
- Open and close taps lightly but securely to minimise leaking and replace washers when leaks occur.
- Know where the main water valves are on your private or business property. This knowledge will be invaluable if a pipe bursts unexpectedly.
- Educate your family and friends on reading a water meter and checking for leaks.
Cost of Fixing a Water Leak
Water leaks can quickly become expensive, especially when severe. Two costs are relevant here: the cost of the water loss and the cost of detecting and fixing the issue. The sooner you react, the less you will spend on the first charge.
You can calculate the total water leak cost after confirming the increased water usage for the month on your municipal bill and adding the service fees for leak detection and repairs after the work is complete.
The location, cover type, and size of the affected area are some factors that determine the cost of water leak detection. As a result, the procedure can vary from an hour to multiple days of labour.
Leak detection services typically cost R1 500 (excl. VAT) per hour but depend on the provider and the distance to your property. Materials and consumables, like tracer gas, will also impact the total.
How much will Cape Town Leak Detection and Plumbing charge me?
Insurance and Water Leak Detection
Water leaks may be inconvenient and expensive, but there is good news: property insurance will likely cover related fees. Structural insurance is designed to assist with the cost of sudden and active leaks, like a burst water pipe, not caused by general wear and tear.
The property owner or insurance company will appoint a water leak detector to locate the leak and repair it accordingly. Once repairs are complete, you will receive a leak detection report, which you can use to apply for a water rebate from the municipality or submit an insurance claim.
If you want a more comprehensive home insurance policy, consult your insurance company or broker to discuss possible inclusions of defects relating to water leaks.