Be a Leak Detective
Put on your detective hat, grab your magnifying glass, and get ready to check for water leaks in your home. One effective method is to turn off all water fixtures, including ice machines and other automatic appliances, then check your water meter. If the small red dial or triangle on an older meter is spinning, water is flowing when it shouldn’t be. Digital meters flag water flow that could be a leak with a flashing icon. You can also tell by watching for whether the smallest reading numbers on the far right after the decimal are changing. If they are changing with all faucets off in the house, you may have a leak.
Another sleuthing technique is to add a few drops of food colouring (or dye tabs which are available at the RDNO office) to the toilet tank, wait a few minutes and then check the bowl. If there’s colour in the bowl, you likely have a leak. Also, ice built up on an outside tap (hose bib) is a sign of a leak that will likely cause flooding when the ice thaws (check inside walls for water). Turn off the water to this hose bib and have it replaced as soon as possible.
Stop that Drip! Fix Leaks Before You Get a Runaway Bill
If you have a drip, wrap Teflon tape around the threads before attaching a hose to an outside tap. Water may dribble from a tap for a few seconds after it is shut off - this is just the tap draining and is okay.
Remember that taps should be turned off gently. Forcing the tap closed will cause the washers and leads to shred, leading to future issues.
Winterize to Avoid Leaks
Hose bibs that are not frost-free or without an inside shut-off are at a higher risk of freezing. Frost-free hose bibs can be identified by the flange (flat collar) that is screwed onto the outside of the house. Regular hose bibs are just a pipe coming out of the wall.
Our #1 Recommendation for avoiding frozen outdoor taps – remove the hose from the tap! If the hose is left on, even “frost-free” taps can crack, since they can’t drain and the water inside freezes.
