Vlog

• Water Leaks are one of the most common reasons for high water bills
• You can identify whether you have a potential leak, we’ll show you how
• Check out more of our VLOGs here!

Water leakage is one of the most common reasons behind your high water bills and if the leak is left undetected for a long time, it can dig an unwanted hole in your pocket.

In this video, our Plumbdog Richard shares some simple tips and tricks to discover unknown leaks on your property and reduce the unnecessary wastage of money. He also explains possible ways which you can detect the problem by yourself.

1. Find You Water Meter
   The first step is to spot the water meter. Before seeking assistance from a professional, you can try to locate the meter yourself, as it is usually placed in the garden towards the boundary, close to the street.
   If you are unable to figure the position, then the chances are that it might be buried under overgrown garden land. Such a situation demands an expert’s guidance, for which you can click the link we have mentioned in our blog.
2. Turn Off Water Using Devices
   The next course of action is to turn off all the devices that involve direct water use. Check for usual items like washing machines, water purifiers and filter systems, taps and adaptive aircons.
3. Test With The Water Meter
   Now finally, we test the leakage through our water meter. Now we need to observe the movement of our dial for over 5 minutes. If there is no movement then you can be comfortable knowing that there isn’t a leak. A movement in the reading is an indication of a possible leak.

What to do if you notice a movement?

In such a case, the ideal thing to do to give us a whistle and book yourself a professional plumber. If you want to try and detect the leak yourself first, then a good place to start looking is usually around the water meter itself.

If you are able to identify the water leak it will help save some time and money and you can call us to fix up the problem. Of course if you are unable to detect the leak yourself, our team of trained and experienced Plumbdogs will sniff out the problem for you.

Our Services

If you are facing any plumbing issues at your home or office, give us a whistle! We pride ourselves in being the experts that our customers and colleagues in the industry turn to for maintenance plumbing services that also provide value for your money. Our team of highly professional Plumbdogs hold years of experience in solving all kinds of plumbing related issues like fixing broken or twisted pipes, unblocking drains, leak detection, and hot water system installations, maintenance and repairs. Not only are we skilled and experienced, we have all the gear and every idea to be at your service.

• Tree Roots – The most common offenders of blocked drain problems. This property had tree root ingress in multiple locations.  
• CCTV Footage – Check out our CCTV footage from the job
• Plumbdog has All The Gear and Every Idea. Check out more of our VLOGS here!

In this video one of our top dogs Rich takes us to a property in Langford where this property had blocked drains. Using CCTV for inspection and high pressure water jetter combined, he has been able to clear the roots away.

Tree roots tend to grow in close proximity to moisture; as a result, they get attracted to the water pipes, causing massive damage. Rich is an experienced Plumbdog and knows how to sniff out problems when it comes to fixing blocked drains.

The Video

In today’s video, we see how Rich clears roots as far along as 11 and 14 meters from the inspection point creating blocked drain problems in multiple locations. He gives us a close up look of the process and some CCTV video footage of the job at hand. It’s not something everyone gets to see so we hope you enjoy the video.

The Blocked Drain

An underground pipe has tree root ingress creating a blocked drain issue. The pipe is surrounded by thick tree roots, which have cracked open the pipe from multiple points. Tree roots are a common problem and if you have been following our videos, you’ll notice that no two jobs are the same.

Another complication discovered comes from a bad fitting from when the pipe changes from earthenware to PVC where it’s not aligned correctly and is not fitted properly. Upon further inspection, there are also multiple locations in joining areas where tree roots have penetrated through.

The Solution

With his expertise, Rich uses our locally custom made high water pressure jetter down the access point, which helps in rapidly unclogging the congestion. The combined high pressure water jetter and CCTV allows us to effectively remove the tree roots in multiple problem areas and inspect that the job is done right. 

In combination with the latest tools of the trade and experience, our obedient Plumbdogs are able to get the job done quickly and efficiently saving our customers time and money. This is why we say we have ‘all the gear and every idea’.

• Water Leak Detection
• Our Skilled Plumbdog Plumber Finds & Fixes a Water Leak
• Water leaks waste water & money and potentially cause damage to surrounding areas
• This water leak problem could have quite easily been avoided.

Water leaks waste so much water and money for home occupiers. There are various reasons why leaks occur from natural land movement to tree roots but on occasion leaking pipes are a result of work that has not been done properly to last.

The Video

Our experienced and skilled Richard from Plumbdog South Perth was called out to the job because of high water bills and the owners could hear water running around the house. Over the years, we have definitely become the experts in our field when it comes to water leak detection.

Pro Tip: Isolate the Hot Water Line

If you’ve been watching our videos, you’ll probably notice one of the first things to do is to isolate the hot waterline. Isolating the hot water line breaks it down for you to determine whether the problem exists on the hot water or cold water line. In this instance, it made it easy to determine that the water leak was on the hot water line. Even better, we get to use our specialised infrared equipment to help detect the leak.

How The Water Leak Could Have Been Avoided

As explained in the video, on a normal job it is important to keep the rubble away. We found rubble while digging up the sand surrounding the damaged pipe and to further add to the cause, the pipe was left directly exposed when being covered back up after a welding job. Why would you do that? If you’ve started a job, then don’t be lazy and finish it properly.

Fixing the Leaking Pipe Properly

Who would have known that plumbers would need to be skilled in digging, welding and all sorts of wonderful things? After welding the pipe properly, checking the welding and then testing that the problem has been fixed, rather than simply covering the hole back up leaving the pipe exposed, the pipe is properly wrapped up and then the hole is backfilled but with just the sand without the rubble which will stop the same problem from occurring again.

Benefit of Using Licensed Plumber

As you can see towards the end of the video, our licensed plumber has completed a leak loss report for the Water Corporation which confirms that the leak repair has been carried out by a licensed plumber. This allows the customer to send the report to the water corp to seek a deduction for lost water off their bill.

Not only does using a good licensed plumber mean getting the job done right, you could even get some money back.

Plumbdog Water Leak Detection Experts

We pride ourselves in top quality work with the ability to detect and fix water leak issues. Our vans are fully stocked with the latest equipment and our plumbers need to be highly qualified and skilled to be called a Plumbdog.

If you’re in Perth and surrounding areas and need someone local who specialises in leak detection, give us a whistle!

• Water leaks are often discovered when the expensive water bill arrives in the mail
• Some water leaks are obvious but some are hidden away quietly wasting water and money
• Checking whether you have a water leak is not hard and you can check for yourself whether you have a water leak.
• Follow these instructions to check whether you have a water leak
• If you do have a leak, suspect a leak or are still unsure then consult your local licensed plumber.

If you suspect that you have a water leak or simply want to start checking regularly whether you have a water leak, here is the best way to check and you don’t even need to be a plumber or handyman to complete this water leak detection test.

Instructions: How to Check If Your Property Has A Water Leak

Follow the following simple steps to work out if you have a water leak:

1. Turn off all taps and water using devices in your house
   Don’t forget about devices like your washing machine, water filters and even sprinkler systems outside.

2. Locate your Water Meter
   Most water meters are quite easy to find and you should be able see it quite easily having a quick look around the house but in case you need some help finding your meter, click here: https://mywater.com.au/css-web-external/pub/propertySearch

3. Check the Meter Reading
   More importantly, take a note of the last 3 digits of your water meter reading (usually red numbers)

4. Wait 5 Minutes
   You can wait a little bit longer to be completely sure but 5 minutes is sufficient.

5. Check the Meter Again
   Take note of the last 3 digits of your water meter reading again after waiting 5 minutes.

Did the 3 Digits Change?

If the digits changed, unfortunately you have a water leak somewhere. If all of your taps and water consuming devices are completely turned off then those digits will not change because water is not being used.

Water Corporation have a handy tool you can use to calculate how much water you are losing and also let you know the cost of wasted water. Click here https://www.watercorporation.com.au/faults/leak-detection-tool

Pro Tip – Slightly More Advanced Leak Test

If you know where you main isolation tap to your reticulation is a handy tip is to isolate your reticulation and repeat the test.

If you find that there is no longer movement of the 3 digits then the leak is on your reticulation somewhere.

Important Information & Useful Links

Did you know that ideally you should only test your reticulation system on your designated watering days?

Here is some handy information regarding testing: https://www.watercorporation.com.au/home/faqs/saving-water/can-i-test-my-irrigation-system

Not sure which are your watering days? Click here https://www.watercorporation.com.au/save-water/watering-days?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz7XAl_vr5AIVxBWPCh3WLAvQEAAYASABEgIIH_D_BwE

Did you know that Plumbdog are the leaders in locating and repairing water leaks in Perth?

Not only do we have a wealth of experience, and carry all of the latest equipment to find the trickiest of water leaks, but as we are licensed plumbers we can repair the leak too, and due to the fact that we drive huge service vehicles stocked to the roof with stock we can usually complete the whole job in one single visit, meaning less disruption to you and your busy schedule.