Most hidden leaks reveal themselves long before they cause serious damage — if you know what to look for. Here are the warning signs South African homeowners and property managers most often miss.
The single most reliable signal of a hidden leak. If your monthly consumption has increased without any change in occupancy or behaviour, something is leaking.
What to check: Read your meter at night before bed and again first thing in the morning. If the dial has moved with no one using water, you have a leak.
A geyser losing pressure or running cold without obvious cause may indicate a leak on the hot-water line. Slab-mounted hot-water leaks create localised warm spots on floors.
What to check: Walk barefoot across tiled floors. Note any sections that feel warmer than the rest, especially first thing in the morning.
Damp patches that don't dry out, paint bubbling or peeling, or salt deposits on walls and floors are signs of water migrating from a hidden source.
What to check: Push gently on damp patches. A soft, spongy feel means the substrate is saturated. Photograph what you see — it helps with insurance claims later.
A drop in pressure across the whole property, especially when no other water is being used, often points to a leak on the main supply.
What to check: Try multiple taps. If pressure is consistently low, especially at higher points in the house, there may be a supply-side leak.
Water migrating from a buried supply or sewer line can saturate the ground under paving, driveways and pool surrounds. Over time this causes paving to lift, crack or sink.
What to check: Walk your driveway and paving after dry weather. Damp patches that persist days after rain has stopped almost always indicate an underground leak.
Mould needs moisture. Persistent mould in a particular room, or a musty smell that won't clear with ventilation, often indicates ongoing water ingress.
What to check: Empty under-sink cupboards and inspect the back wall and floor. Check around the bath — particularly where it meets walls and floor.
Normal pool evaporation in Gauteng is roughly 5-10 mm per day in summer. If your pool is losing significantly more, there's a leak somewhere in the structure or plumbing.
What to check: Bucket test. Place a bucket of pool water on the steps, mark the levels inside and outside. After 24 hours, if the pool level has dropped more than the bucket, the difference is your leak.
A toilet that runs continuously, or one that makes a soft hissing sound between flushes, is leaking water past the flush valve.
What to check: Put a few drops of food colouring in the cistern. If colour appears in the bowl within 15 minutes without flushing, the flush valve is leaking.