Common Water Leaks & How To Fix Them

Water leaks are a homeowner’s nightmare.

Besides causing water damage, they can also negatively affect your:

• Water bills
• Boiler pressure
• Central heating
• Hot water supply.

You may be able to fix them yourself, depending on how severe the issue is. 

Read on to learn how to fix a water leak quickly and effectively whilst you wait for professional help.

Immediate first steps

1. Turn off the water supply

You should do this in two places: 

• The water valve on the pipe closest to the leak
• The stopcock. Often located under kitchen sinks, but sometimes utility rooms, under stairs or airing cupboards.

It’s worth turning both off as a precaution in case the water valve fails.

If leak is near electrics

If your leak is near any electrical sockets, you should turn off that circuit in your fuse box/consumer unit.

2. Drain the taps 

Turn on the taps connected to the pipe and let the water run out. 

Whilst this is happening, dry off the pipe with a towel and cover your floor to protect it.

When the water stops flowing from the tap, you know it’s fully drained.

Identify the cause of the leak

A loose joint

You can fix this by simply tightening the joint.

You can usually tighten a joint by hand. Try with a spanner if that doesn’t work.

Once you’ve tried this, reconnect the water supply at the water valve and stopcock. 

Then partially turn on a tap connected to the pipe and see if the leaking continues or has stopped.

Note: If the leak is close to a radiator, it could be a leaking radiator valve. And if it’s near you boiler, it could be a leaking boiler.

A cracked or split pipe

You can only possibly temporarily manage this until a plumber comes and fixes it.

It can be caused by corrosion or external damage (a DIY mishap, for example).

In the meantime, keep the water sources switched off.

A problem with your mains water supply

Mains water supplies sometimes have faults, such as pressure surges. 

This might cause a leak inside your home. Sometimes it even causes a dripping tap. 

Either way, in this event, your water company is the only one responsible for fixing the issue. 

However, in the meantime, a mains pressure surge may have accelerated an underlying issue with your pipework. So, it’s worth having a plumber inspect it regardless.

How to seal a leaking pipe

While you’re waiting for a plumber, there is a temporary fix you can try. 

You’ll need self-amalgamating (self-fusing) tape and epoxy paste. Hardware stores usually have both.

Follow these steps below on how to seal a leaking pipe:

1. Wrap the self-fusing’s tape around the pipe several times, until it’s fully sealed
2. Apply epoxy paste to any spots in the pipe that are still leaking water
3. Leave this to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions on the packaging.

Get comprehensive boiler and central heating cover with Hometree

You can’t always fix a leak yourself. 

Hometree’s boiler cover offers fixed price repairs for water leaks under our comprehensive care plans.

Our experts are here for you 24/7. Get in touch and we’ll arrange a visit from one of our local engineers at a time that suits you.