GerardAre you struggling with:
Damp patches on your wall that won’t dry out?
Water bills that are slowly creeping up?
Faint trickling behind walls when the house is quiet?
Then you may have a water leak in your home. We all love a lovely water feature but there’s a time and a place.
If you’re based in Perth or anywhere across Western Australia, there are a few common reasons and more trickier ones to why you would have a water leak in your walls.
We will walk through some of the reasons why WA homes struggle with leaks, what signs to look out for, how to narrow down where the leak is coming from and when it’s time to bring in a professional.
Why you may have hidden wall leaks if you’re based in Perth
Perth and the wider WA are no strangers to slow, hidden leaks, a mix of how our homes are built, a specific pipe issue affecting properties from the last decade, and the water pressure many of us live with all play a part. Here’s a closer look at each.
Most Perth homes are built on a slab, not over a subfloor
Most homes in Perth are single storey and built on a concrete slab. It’s the standard and the most cost effective way to build homes on our sandy soils.
Although slabs are an effective way to build it can come at a cost. A lot of your water supply pipework runs under the slab or is chased into wall cavities and roof space, rather than sitting in an easily accessible subfloor.
That means a slow leak inside a wall or under a slab can run for weeks or months before it becomes visible, because the water has to travel through concrete, insulation, or wall cavities before it ever reaches a surface you can see.
The WA polybutylene pipe issue of 2017 to 2022
If your house or renovation was built around 2017 to 2022 there’s something to consider.
The Western Australia Building and Energy division has confirmed a widespread failure in Pro-fit Typlex 1050 resin polybutylene plumbing pipes.
Yes, that’s a lot to take in but the Typlex 1050 are grey pipes manufactured by Iplex Australia and marked with “Iplex” and “Typlex” branding and these pipes were installed in homes across the state during 2017 to 2022.
The affected pipes installed have been failing at a much higher rate and in response to these failures an industry-wide remediation program was set up between the manufacturer, participating builders, and the WA government, offering free repairs, re-piping, and leak detection units to affected homeowners.
Due to how serious the issue was, Building and Energy also extended the standard six-year building complaint window to fifteen years for homes affected by this specific pipe material.
If you experience any issues, not just leaks it’s worth having a look to see whether your plumbing includes the Typlex 1050.
A licensed plumber can identify the pipe material during an inspection, and if it turns out to be affected stock, you may be entitled to support rather than paying for repairs out of pocket.
Perth’s water pressure can work against ageing or damaged pipes
The Water Corporation supplies standard water pressure of roughly 15 to 100 metres head in the metro area (13 to 100 in regional WA).
That’s a large range where homes at the lower end of a hill or below a water reservoir can consistently sit at the high end of water pressure or above.
Consistently high pressure can put extra strains on joints, fittings and pipes. Over time these parts can become compromised.
High pressure alone rarely is the main cause of a leak but it can manifest a small issue into a larger and active one so worth considering when finding a cause of leaks.
Signs you might have a leak inside your wall
You usually can’t find or even see the leaking pipe itself. Like the super real show Ghost Hunters from the early 2000s, you’re looking for something much sinister – signs of water in your walls.
Damp walls
Do you have a section of your wall that feels damp or cool? Or can you noticeably feel different temperatures from surrounding areas even when nothing has spilled nearby? You may have a hidden water leak in your wall.
Bubbling paint or wallpaper
Is your paint or wall paper bubbling, peeling or discoloured? If the affected area appears in patches rather than the whole wall, you may have a water leak in your wall.
Musty smells
A musty or mouldy smell in one area of a room that doesn’t go away with ventilation is a hint you may have a water leak.
Warped features
Skirting boards that are warped, swollen, or soft to the touch is another sign you may have a hidden water leak.
Mould growth
Keep an eye out for visible mould growth at floor level or around a specific section of wall.
Rising water bills
If you’ve noticed your water bill slowly turning into an ancient scroll that rolls out because your bill is very long (like the one from Shrek 2) then you might have a water leak.
Sounds of running water
As an exercise you can turn every tap, appliance, and irrigation line in the house off. If you’re very quiet you might be able to hear the faint sounds of water dripping.
Ticking water meter
A water meter that keeps ticking over after you’ve turned every fixture on the property off is one of the most reliable DIY tests you can do as it isolates the plumbing system from everything else.
Any of the above on its own might be nothing. Maybe you’ve used more water or a certain room has always been troublesome with damps.
But a few of these together, especially combined with a rising water bill, is a strong signal you have a hidden leak.
How to narrow a leak down yourself
Before ringing a plumber we know that a few of you prefer to diagnose issues yourselves. So we’ve pulled out a few checks you can do on your own.
The water meter test
1. Turn off every tap, appliance, and irrigation system on the property then check your water meter.
2. Note down the reading on your phone or a handwritten note and wait around 15 to 30 minutes without using any water, and check again.
3. If the reading has moved, water is going somewhere it shouldn’t. It’s either escaped underground, under your slab or inside a wall or ceiling.
Inspect the general area
1. Simply just feel along walls, especially walls backing onto bathrooms, laundries and kitchens. Basically where your pipework runs.
2. Look for differences in temperature or dampness.
3. Also check for any water stains creeping up from skirting boards. Water inside walls tend to pool at the bottom before it shows anywhere else.
Rule out condensation and other sources
Not every damp patch is a leak. We’ve seen cases of poor ventilation, roof leaks and shower recesses that have failed that people have mistaken for leaks.
Getting a leak checked is definitely worth it but if the damp area is near a bathroom or laundry, it’s worth ruling out waterproofing membrane failure as well as pipework.
Where DIY checks reach their limit is location. Knowing there’s a leak “somewhere in that wall” doesn’t tell you where to cut in, and opening up plasterboard on a guess is expensive and often wrong.
How professionals actually find a leak inside a wall
The biggest advantages of calling a professional to find a leak is the equipment as a leak can be found without needing to pull apart the wall or digging to China.
This is where dedicated leak detection equipment earns its keep, because it finds the leak without needing to open the wall up first:
Acoustic leak detection
Acoustic leak detection uses sensitive listening equipment to pick up specific sound signatures of pressurised water escaping a pipe.
You can even hear the specific sound signatures through concrete or plasterboard so your professional doesn’t need to de-construct your home.
A technician that understands how to use an acoustic listening device starts with moving the sensor along the suspected area and pinpoints the loudest and most consistent signal.
Thermal imaging
A thermal imaging device picks up the temperature difference between usually cold water leaking from a pipe and the surrounding wall or slab the water is affecting.
On the camera, your professional will be able to clearly see the temperature differences between the leaking water and the wall.
Even when there’s no visible dampness the camera can pick the leak up.
Tracer gas detection
Tracer gas detection involves pushing harmless gas through a piece of pipe and then scanning the wall or slab surface that detects even a small trace amount of gas escaping through the leak point.
It’s typically the most precise method available for slab leaks or leaks in hard-to-access areas.
A professional can also combine the tracer gas test with a pressure test to confirm the leak does exist and where it sits in the system.
These methods allow us to mark the exact spot rather than turning your wall into a jigsaw puzzle.
What to do if you suspect a leak
If you suspect the leak is significant or affecting water pressure somewhere else in the house then you should turn off your water mains.
Take a few photos of any visible damage for your records, to help out your plumber and any future insurance claims if needed.
We urge you not to cut into the wall yourself. As discussed, a professional has highly sophisticated tools to pinpoint the leak.
You risk making the damage worse or cutting into the pipe you were trying to find, or worse cutting into a pipe that had no issues.
Most importantly, don’t wait. A slow leak inside a wall doesn’t resolve on its own and can only grow.
Get it found the first time properly
When it comes to sneaky leaks, a DIY check is very useful for indicating that you may have a leak but doesn’t tell you exactly where the leak is.
Don’t spend time making unnecessary holes in your wall, give us a call. At GXR Plumbing and Gas we use acoustic, thermal and tracer gas detection to not only find leaks in a general area but pinpoint leaks inside a wall or under slabs.
Repairs are also targeted and fixed. If you’ve noticed any of the signs, get in touch with our expert leak detection specialists today.
