Do You Have a Leak? By John Hiatt

The one thing that all water supply systems have in common is the problem of leaks. The bigger and older the system the more likely it is to have leaks. Losses of 10 to 20% are not uncommon in older systems. The water system supplying Mexico City is estimated to lose about 30% of it water to leaks, which is enough to meet the needs of a city the size of Rome, Italy.

As well owners it is our privilege and responsibility to manage our own water supply systems. Part of our obligation is to minimize water wastage due to leaks in our piping.

How to tell if you have a Leak?

People with water meters can check on the integrity of their water system rather easily by closing all outlets and observing the meter to determine if the reading changes over the period of an hour or two. (Many meters have a small sensitive flow indicator that will show even small flows in a few minutes) For those of us without meters (most domestic well owners) a bit more effort is required, but the principle is the same. Close off all outlets, shut off the pump and watch for a pressure drop. Most domestic wells have a pressure gauge, which is suitable for this purpose. For shared wells you need to turn off the valve that feeds your home. If the gauge is inoperative (they often are), purchase a replacement. If your system doesn’t have a gauge you can purchase one with a hose bib adapter and hook it to any hose outlet. If the gauge shows a drop in pressure over a period of an hour or less then you have a leak. The size of the leak can be estimated by the rate at which the pressure drops.

OK I got a leak! What now?

If you do have a leak, or leaks, the next job is finding and fixing them. You can either call a plumber (expensive!) or find and fix them yourself. Finding the location of a leak is a bit of a detective job. Various valves in your system may allow the isolation of various parts of the system. For example, hot water heaters usually have a valve on the cold water inlet. Closing this valve allows you to isolate the hot water portion of the system.

Even relatively small leaks make some noise as water under pressure exits through a pinhole in a pipe. Just placing one’s ear close to an outlet valve may be enough to hear a leak. A more sensitive technique is to use a stethoscope attached to a metal probe and place that against a pipe or valve or fixture. This simple device will allow one to hear very small leaks. As one moves closer to the leak the sound grows louder.

Are you lucky?

If you have a leak and you’re lucky the leak will be in place where you can get at it by digging. If it is under the concrete slab of your house you may need a jackhammer, and some luck. At this point it may be advisable to call in a professional. One of the often overlooked sources of leakage is a faulty backflow preventer valve at (or near) the wellhead. The purpose of this valve is to keep water from flowing back down the well when the pump is not running. While this leak does not cause a loss of water it does cause the pump to run more frequently, thus costing money. It can also potentially cause contamination of the well in the case of a pump failure or a power outage that might allow water from a garden hose to siphon back into the well.

Your Ongoing role

It is imperative that all of us who depend on domestic or community wells be aware of the possibility of leaks in our water systems and check for them on a regular basis. This is especially important as a water system ages.

John Hiatt is a community activist from the South West part of the Vegas Valley. He serves on the Advisory Committee to the Las Vegas Valley Groundwater Management Program