Water Leak Repair – 8 Important Steps to Best Fixes

When people have a water leak at their home or business, it is natural to think about getting the water leak repaired ASAP, but along they way do carrying out the repairs needed, there are other things to consider.

So in this quick guide, we will explain the key steps to carrying out a water leak repair, and main considerations to think about, based on our experience as leak detection service providers.

So let’s now run through the step-by-step approach to carrying out water leak repairs.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 1) – Do You Have a Leak?

This might sound like an unusual place to start. However, it is not unusual for people to think they have a water leak in their property and need a water leak repair, when actually they don’t!

There are a number of things which people sometimes confuse for a water leak. Thankfully we have written a number of related guides to explain some of these. So check them out to make sure it is not one of these:

• Condensation Problems
• Storm Damage Leaks
• Damp Problem on Walls
• Mould on Walls
• A Blocked Toilet Problem

Assuming you know for sure that it is not one of those other things, and do need a water leak repair carrying out, here are the next steps to consider, each of which are important parts of the process.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 2) – Locating a Water Leak

Clearly, in order to carry out a water leak repair, you need to know exactly where the leak is. Thankfully, we are trace and access experts who know how to locate a wide variety of water leaks in your home or business.

We use highly trained staff, who are experienced at locating leaks, supported by excellent systems and equipment to help maximise the chances of finding water leaks (small or large). If you want to carry out a water leak repair, and if for example it is a hidden underground water leak, you want to ensure that you are accessing it accurately in readiness for the water leak repair process (more on that soon!).

Here are just some of the methods used to pinpoint the location of water leaks:

1. Thermal Imaging Leak Detection
2. Leak Detection Cameras
3. Moisture Meter Leak Detectors
4. Other Methods – including Acoustic Leak Detection, Tracer Gas Leak Detection and more.

These popular methods of water leak detection compliment each other well to and which ones are used on each job, will depend on the type of leak and where it is located.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 3) – Type of Leak

Everything we covered in step 2 of this process will also be affected by the type of water leak you are looking to locate and carry out a water leak repair on. No two leaks are the same and they may depend on:

• The age of the property
• Modifications or additions to it
• The construction materials in the property
• The layout and pathways of the water pipes
• The type of pipes used (copper, plastic, lead etc)
• The type of heating system – with boiler pressure leaks
• Types of rooms in the property – like bathroom leaks

We could go on, but as you can see, all properties are different and so all water leaks are different (subtly or significantly) and so all water leak repairs are different. Even two leaks that might seem the same can be different. For example – an underfloor heating leak, if that is underneath expensive luxury Italian marble tiles, carrying out the water leak repair would be very different to it being under vinyl flooring or ‘lino’.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 4) – Type of Pipes Used

Just like the fact that properties vary, so do the pipes within them, there can be a wide variety of types of water leak repair accordingly, for example:

• Copper pipe water leak repair
• Plastic pipe water leak repair
• Lead pipe water leak repair
• Steel pipe water leak repair
• Cast iron pipe repair

See more on the John Guest Pipes Guide – explaining some of the different types. As you will see on there they also discuss things such as flexi-pipes or rubber hoses etc. These can be sources of water leak too. As you might expect, repairing a washing machine hose is different to a copper pipe leak in concrete slabs underground.

We have a recent article explaining about washing machine leaks too. Which also highlights that a water leak might not actually be in a pipe. Therefore, the water leak repair for that might be a new door seal or something else.

Even on something like plastic pipes, what type of plastic water pipe are we talking about? (PVC, PEX, ABS etc). And, is it a plastic cold feed, hot feed, drain or waste pipe? All these things matter.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 5) – Temporary vs Permanent Fix

Once a water leak has been located and you understand all the other factors we mentioned previously, the next thing to think about is whether or not your water leak repair is a temporary fix or ‘permanent’ fix. There are some situations where a temporary fix is beneficial before a more permanent water leak repair is carried out.

For example, let’s say that you have a leak in your heating system (in winter) and that is stopping you from having your central heating running – it may be that in doing the investigations to locate a leak that you discover that the copper pipes underground are decaying and corroding. You may then decide you need them all replacing, but to tide you over a temporary water leak repair can help.

There are many different solutions on the market, with different applications and, as with many things, different levels of cost from somethings simple and cheap, to more expensive and robust. One example on the market is the Leak Mate, which is a screw down clamp with seals on to stop the leak temporarily (see in the middle picture below). It can generally be reused too.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 6) – Are There Several Leaks?

Going back to the example we gave earlier about a copper pipe water leak repair linked to corrosion. As you might expect, if pipework is leaking from that in one location, then others may have happened too. It is not unusual when looking for water leaks to see that there is actually more than one! Sometimes there can be several in completely different locations, from small leaks to large ones.

Several water leaks means several water leak repairs too, each of which can vary according to some of the things we highlighted earlier in this guide. We carry out checks to see if there are other water leaks at the time of doing the water leak detection process at that point in time.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 7) – Water Damage Repairs

The final, and equally important thing to consider with water leak repairs, is not just repairing the water leak but also the other areas affected by the leak, suffering from water damage. As a provider of water damage services, we know about this very well!

The type and extent of water damage caused by a water leak will vary according to the size and type of leak, alongside other factors such as the type of materials the water leak has come into contact with. Different types of materials react in different ways to water damage in a property. For example – wet wood from water leak is different to damp plaster from a water leak.

Some materials are very resilient structurally to water leaks (such as concrete) however, equally they can hold a lot of water and may need specialist drying such as pressure drying. Plus, different types of materials in the same group can vary with respect to the damage causes. For example, hardwood vs MDF or Chipboard.

Water Leak Repairs (Step 8) – Other Secondary Damage

We have just talked about the direct damage from a water leak but secondary damage can be an issue too. This is especially the case with damp and mould issues which arise as an aftereffect to the water leak. Carrying out a water leak repair will stop the water but not immediately resolve something like mould caused nearby.

We recently wrote a very useful article about why you might have mould in houses, and one of the things we mention as a possible cause is a water leak. Certain substances are more prone / susceptible to mould, especially plaster and softer woods, which mould uses as a food source to grow upon and flourish.

Conclusion – Water Leak Repairs

Hopefully you found this guide useful, and it helps to understand how water leak repairs are just one stage of many that need considering as part of a full service offering, to be thorough. To recap the stages, they were:

1. Seeing if you have a water leak
2. Finding the water leaks location
3. The type of water leak you have
4. The type of pipe that needs fixing
5. Temporary vs permanent repairs
6. Considering more than one leak
7. Water damage repairs and leaks
8. Secondary damage from leaks

We also offer damage management services and commercial leak detection in York (where we are based) and the local surrounding area.

Water Leak Repairs – Top Tip
“Although water leak repairs are important to stop a water leak causing more damage to your home or business, there are a number of other considerations to be made including finding out where the leak is, the type of leak and the damage caused by them”

Leak Detection Team

Water Leak Repairs – Related Articles

Here are a few other posts related how you unblock a toilet:

• Locating plumbing leaks
• Ceiling Leaks
• Water Meter Reading Guide
• Fire and Flood Restoration
• Tundish on Boiler

Here is a useful article explaining more about our services as a water leak detection company.

We are experts in dealing with flood water damage for people in the York and Yorkshire Coast area, so if you have been flooded, please contact our friendly team to arrange for help and guidance. We also deal with Yorkshire water leaks in local homes and businesses. Here are the local areas we cover.

At Rainbow Restoration – York & Yorkshire Coast we are local and friendly, trusted experts, so if you need assistance finding a water leak or getting your property repaired and dried after water damage or a flood, get in touch with our friendly local and dedicated team who will be happy to help you with this. We are based in York and help find water leaks in York.