How to do a leak test

Firstly, check everything in your home that uses water.

It could be as simple as a dripping tap or a leaking toilet that needs repairing. You’d be surprised how much water can be lost from these.

Check your toilet for leaks

A leaky loo could be wasting 215 litres a day. If you suspect it’s leaking, follow our steps to check your toilet. If it's leaking we’ll fix your toilet for free. 

How to do a leak test

1. First, shut off all taps but leave your internal stop tap open. It's really important you don't use appliances or the bathroom during the test.

2. Take a meter reading, making sure to read all the digits and dials. 

3. Leave a reasonable amount of time before taking the second reading. It's useful to take a reading before you go to bed, and take the second reading the following morning.

4. Take your second reading. 

If the reading is higher than your first reading, and you're sure you haven't used any water, please continue with the next steps. 

5. First, shut off all taps and the internal stop tap. You can usually find your stop tap under the kitchen sink or in a connecting garage. Check the water is off by turning the kitchen tap on, until the flow of water stops. If the water continues to flow then you have not fully shut off the internal stop tap or it is faulty and needs replacing. 

6. Take a meter reading. Read all the digits and dials. 

7. Leave a reasonable amount of time before taking another reading. Like with the first step of your test, a good time to do this test is in the evening before going to bed.

8. Take a second reading the following morning before reopening the internal stop tap. 

Results

If your meter reading is higher after Step 4, but not after Step 8, the problem is likely on your private pipework. 

For all private leaks, we recommend you check your insurance policies, in case you have cover for leak repairs. If the leak is private, please use a WaterSafe plumber to repair it, and let us know the date of repair and the meter readings. 

If your meter reading is higher after both Step 4 and Step 8, please send us a message with Facebook Messenger, so we can find out if the leak is on our pipes, or on private pipes. 

Where a leak is found on our pipes, we will arrange a repair.