flowing water or not hmmmmm!

[shedi123]

Hello,
Have a bit of a water mystery. For a couple of months now there has been a noise coming from our ground floor bathroom which sounds like the tap is on and the water is flowing down the pipe.

Taps and everything else are switched off and there are no overflows leaking anywhere so its not the water tank in the loft or the toilets over flowing.

I know its the mains water because when i switch the mains off, the noise stops . If you touch the water pipe where it enters the ground floor toilet you can feel as if the water is flowing and this is where the noise is strongest.

It could be a burst pipe under the ground floor, as the pipes in the bathroom are in a concrete floor and there is no signs of water anywhere. The kitchen floor is also concrete with the rest of the house being floor boarded.
All of the floors have tiles or laminate flooring so its impossible to lift any boards without damage and the chances of lifting a board in the right place is low.

Is there a way of being more sure there is even a leak? such as some way of telling if there is flow on the water when i know everything is off?

Also, is there any easier way to locate a leak other than trial and error? Please help.

 

[clf-gas]

I know its the mains water because when i switch the mains water off, the noise stops too.

Looks like your going to have to pull up the floor somewhere to get under and see, or wait until its washed away the foundations and cracks appear, that will give you an indication as to where it might be.

 

[cider]

contact your insurance company as you may be covered, also your water provider may help. pipes in concrete floors are a nightmare you could have a massive leak for years and not know unless your on a meter and get bill from hell! also try contacting IOP and getting an experienced plumber 20 yrs plus (not ive done a 2 week plumbing course and paid the fee boy) to come around and sus things out.

 

[powell30]

Where are you switching the water off from? Stop cock in road or stop tap on property. Only, if you switch off water and noise stops leak HAS to be above this point, so if you are switching of water on your property ie stop tap internal it can't be a leak below that point. Have you checked all float valves? Taps? if it is a leak underground it's a dig up i'm afraid.

 

[shedi123]

I'm sure i haven't checked floats on main water tank in loft but have checked the over flow outside for it. I will check it anyways to be sure, although i'm sure the house would be wet by now if it was overflowing. lol.
contact your insurance company as you may be covered, also your water provider may help. pipes in concrete floors are a nightmare you could have a massive leak for years and not know unless your on a meter and get bill from hell!
Thats a good idea cider about insurance, didn't think of that. We had the water board out and then just said errr yes sounds like a leak somewhere... (tell me something i didn't know). Thankfully we don't have a water meter as of yet.
Well i'll contact the insurance next, and hopefully we won't have floated away by then.
Thanks for your advice guys. [/quote]

 

[ChrisR]

This is simple.
Do you have a water meter? If so the rotating indicator is very sensitive and will show a flow of water if you have a leak.

If not,
Turn water off in the street
hold a tumbler or water under kitchen sink cold tap, with the end of the tap submerged, and turn the tap on. If there's a leak the water level will drop as the water is sucked into the pipe. It won't work if there's a check valve in the tap, but that's fairly unusual.

If you still aren't sure,
turn the supply off, and leave it 10 minutes. If there's a short whooshing when you turn it back on, you have a leak.

 

[shedi123]

thanks chris, i'll give that ago.

 

[captinleakey]

turn everything off then turn it off in turn it off in the street of house then wait about 5 min then turn the the garden tap on if there is no pressure there it a leak. works all the time