In just one home, leaks in plumbing can waste anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 gallons every year.

They can also cause serious structural damage, mold problems, and in the case of a dripping faucet, insanity. The worst part? Many leaks aren’t even visible, and can be difficult to detect. Water stains, or a significant increase in your water bill, could tip you off to their presence. Some leaks are obvious, and easily fixed. Some, not so much. What follows are some methods to help you check for leaks in your home, seen and unseen. While not the most exciting way to spend your Saturday, checking for and locating leaks will save a lot of water, and it may save you money.

Could I have a potential leak in my home?

Let’s find out.

Have you noticed disturbed dust patterns that look like a dirty car after the rain has dried? We would say that at some point water has been there. Whether its from an open window, a supply line, or a kid.. well, that’s harder to tell.

If you do see water, follow the drips, and turn off the nearest shutoff valve, and either fix it if you know how or call us. If there is just dusty evidence, you still might be able to find the leak.

Water follows the path of least resistance. There’s a pretty good chance if you found evidence of a leak (and it hasn’t been fixed), that water will travel that way again. One trick to help find where the drips are dropping from calls for a paper towel or paper bag. This is a useful trick in rental homes, especially when you’ve just moved in (since a leak may have been fixed, but the cleanup job may not have been too great). Grab a paper towel, a paper bag, or even a newspaper and put it under where you suspect dripping. If a drip falls, it will leave a spot, which should help you find where the drip originated. You can also try making an ink grid on the paper using some sort of non-permanent marker to make any drips more obvious.

If there are supply lines or appliances around the suspect area, check them carefully for rips or splits, unattached hoses, or anything else that looks like it could cause a leak.

If all looks right, turn on the water (or water-using appliance), making sure you can turn if off again quickly just in case. Check for leaks (you may need to wait a few minutes), and turn everything back off. If you see drips on your paper, put a bowl or bucket to catch the water, then trace that drip back to where it came from. Once you know what’s leaking, you can fix it yourself or call your landlord or us and let them know what you found (and how you found it).

If you see nothing at the time, it might just be a really slow leak. Check on it daily or more often to see if drips fall when you’re not looking. If you have no drips after a week or so, the leak might have been taken care of, or it might have been that kid after all. Or maybe it only appears when it rains. Either way, still check every so often, and mention it to us the next time you see them.

Please keep in mind that just because you cannot identify a leak yourself, doesn’t  mean you don’t have one. Listen to your gut and look at the evidence. If you feel something isn’t right, your water bill suddenly shoots up, your water meter seems to be running a marathon, or you hear running water when nothing is on and can’t find the reason, don’t wait, call us right away! Not all leaks are easily visible, or leave obvious clues. Some leaks, like ones under a home, may manifest as a warm spot under your feet that hasn’t been there before, or a yard that suddenly has squishy places (possibly broken sprinkler pipe, but also a potential septic issue). These sort of leaks require a licensed plumber quickly.

For more information regarding indoor leaks, or hidden leaks, click the link to be directed to another page.

Ablutions aside, the bathroom is more than just a practical pit stop, and its design can rival any space in the house. You just have to be mindful of every single component: from the tiles to the tub to the shower enclosure and layout. As these images prove, a beautifully-designed bathroom is enough to leave you in a state of pure bliss.

Source: HGTV

Source: Houzz

There are good reasons to have two sinks in your kitchen — if you’re lucky enough to be able to afford that option, of course. Having two properly placed sinks improves kitchen workflow, allows multiple cooks to work in comfort simultaneously, and prevents dirty dishes from getting in the cook’s way.

Why Have a Cleanup Sink?

In a nutshell, the cleanup sink is for washing dishes, pots and glassware. It’s for cleaning up! But why do you need a dedicated cleanup sink? Because readying a meal and cleaning up afterward are two separate processes that should be physically separated. That’s how restaurants do it — the person busing tables wouldn’t dare enter the chef’s domain, after all — and the same strategy works beautifully at home.

Creating a Cleanup Zone

In order for your cleanup sink to function properly, you’ll want to surround it with the proper tools and equipment. First, the sink needs to have counter on both sides — ideally at least 3 feet per side, 2 feet at a minimum. This is necessary so that dirty dishes can move, assembly-line style, from one side to the other. Second, you should place wall cabinets or alternative storage around the sink so that plates and glassware have a home close by.

Third, you definitely want to have the dishwasher next to the cleanup sink, and your trash pullout close at hand. Finally, you should have a drawer nearby for storing silverware.

Once these items surround your cleanup sink, you’ll have created a well-functioning cleanup station — mission control for setting the table and cleaning and putting away the dishes.

What to Consider

There is no one-size-fits-all approach when selecting your cleanup sink. Instead, your decision will come down to your needs, preferences and priorities. The details are really important for making the best choices!

1. Choose Bowl Number

One of the first decisions you’ll want to make about your cleanup sink is whether you want one bowl or two. When everyone washed dishes by hand, double bowls made a lot of sense. But today many people use dishwashers so powerful that rinsing dishes beforehand is not required. If you’re not hand-washing or pre-rinsing, do you really need two bowls?

Single-bowl sinks have a few advantages. They fit large items while taking up a minimum of counter space. They also fit the modern lifestyle, where hand-washing is often done with running water (instead of a full bowl of soapy water followed by a rinse). Single bowls also allow you to choose from the popular apron or farmhouse styles, which are typically just one bowl.

If a double-bowl sink makes the most sense for you — maybe you’ll be hand-washing your grandmother’s china frequently — you may want to consider a model with unequal bowl sizes, as shown in this photo, to get maximum width in the large section.

Tip: People have different preferences, but if you do choose two bowls, I recommend that you place the garbage disposal on the larger side. That way, you’ll be able to soak your casserole dish, then dump out the food bits directly into the disposal.

2. Get the Right Width

No matter how many bowls you prefer, your cleanup sink should be wide enough to soak platters or lasagna pans. Single-bowl sinks are commonly 30 to 36 inches wide, while double-bowl sinks are frequently 33 to 42 inches wide. You may want to bring your favorite large dish along on your sink-shopping trip to be sure it will fit inside your chosen sink. If space in your kitchen is limited, I recommend choosing a single bowl so that you have the greatest amount of continuous sink-basin width.

With black toilets making a comeback (yes, they are) beat the trend and add a black bathtub to your spa retreat you won’t regret it with this inspiration.

See! These bathrooms can turn a black bathtub into a timeless piece when done right.

1. Turn off and drain your garden hose (yes, the one in the garage too!) and any sprinkler systems. That means also blowing out any leftover water in the underground lines. This if left can do damage to the sensitive components that make up your system, and hey, nobody wants to pay to fix that. If you need help with this contact us at Copper Mechanical, a small fee is better than a large one. If you are unsure where your shut off is for your sprinkler or hose? Give us a call and we can talk you through it.
2. Clean your gutters with those last fallen leaves and take a peak at your sump pump and drains (if you have one; if your foundation lies high enough above the water table you may not have one). Make sure there are no blockages and that its functioning properly. Trust me you do not want to deal with the aftermath of a snow melt with a non functioning sump pump or after a heavy rainfall as a homeowner.
3. If you have a well, give it a good inspection, looking for any cracks or damage. You do not want to be stuck without water if it turns out your well is frozen.
4. Make sure your waterlines are properly insulated to avoid freezing or bursting. If you have a crawl space, close up the vents and stuff insulation over the openings, make sure that any pipes that run alongside outer walls are well insulated. Fill in any cracks to avoid even an ounce of cold air entering.
5. Inspect and clean your humidifier, water heater, and fireplaces to ensure each unit is working properly. If you are not sure what to look for contact us today and we can help you out.
6. Consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat. If you are planning on travelling someplace warm during the winter, a programmable thermostat can help keep your home at the correct temperature during the day and night to save on energy costs and keep your home comfortable.
7. Change batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. You never know when you might need them, so make sure they are all in good working order!
8. Fix any waterline leaks you are aware of. You can usually spot these from water marks on your ceiling. It is also a good idea to inspect your water pump, water softener, iron filter, water heater and pressure tank to ensure nothing is leaking around these units either. If you are not sure where to start, contact us today and we can help you out!

Start your fall maintenance checklist today before you forget! Sometimes winter can strike early and you’ll be unexpectedly caught in the cold. The last thing you want is for a burst pipe or falling gutters to ruin an otherwise cozy winter day.

Don’t have time to complete your checklist? Call us at Copper Mechanical Ltd for help!

See our checklist below to save to your phone or computer.

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If you’re concerned about some water that you found on your bathroom floor,

please rest assured that there are a number of common possible causes for the problem. After you eliminate the most obvious cause (poor aim?), consider the following before presuming the problem is with the seal between your toilet and the sewer line. Usually, the issue is less costly than the potentially expensive possibility of wastewater coming up from beneath your toilet.

Where to Start

Condensation: Probably the most common cause for excess water on the floor of a bathroom is water condensing on the outside of the toilet’s tank and dripping onto the floor. This is commonly referred to as the tank “sweating.” Tank condensation/sweat is caused by the difference in temperature of the water inside the tank, which is usually very cold, and the temperature of the air outside the tank in the bathroom, which is often warm and steamy. Tank condensation sometimes occurs more often in the summer months rather than the cold winter months, but can occur any time of year if the conditions are right.

There are easy solutions to this type of problem, such as toilet tank liners (which insulate the cold water inside the tank from the humid outside). Unfortunately, it’s not convenient to confirm the water on your floor is completely an issue of tank condensation/sweat. Basically, you will need to wipe the outside of your tank thoroughly with a towel and then over time, try to visually detect whether or not water is gathering on the outside of the tank again.

Water leaking from inside the toilet tank: Once you’ve confirmed that the problem you’re experiencing is not due to tank condensation, then the next best place to begin would be to eliminate the possibility of you having water leaking from the tank itself. This is a fairly easy thing to check. Start by removing your toilet tank lid (be very careful, because tank lids are extremely fragile, can be heavy and are usually slippery when wet) and add some organic-based coloring (such as food coloring) to your toilet tank water.

After adding the coloring, do NOT flush the tank, but instead wait a little while for the tank water to change color and settle. If after about 10-15 minutes (without flushing the tank) you find the water on your floor to be the same color as the colored water inside your tank, or if you see any colored drips coming from anywhere on your tank, then you’ll know you have water escaping from the toilet’s tank since that IS the only place you have the colored water.

The next thing to do would be to identify where the water is coming from. Any cracks in the porcelain tank should be discolored and highlighted by the tinted water. The tinted water will usually help in finding any leaks around the bolts and rubber seals between your tank and bowl or from the foam gasket where the flush valve allows water to enter the bowl.

Other Possibilities

Leaking shut-off valve: Make sure water isn’t seeping from the pipe connection behind the shut-off valve, near the wall. If it is, the valve may need to be replaced (although it may be possible for you to tighten the valve onto the pipe, depending upon the type of valve and pipe you have).

Leaking supply line: Check for water dripping from the nuts on each end of the supply line, where the line attaches both to the inlet of the toilet’s fill valve (on one end of the flex) and the shut-off valve on the wall (at the other end of the flex). If you have a rigid supply line, you can try replacing the supply washers. Sometimes the supply line will be attached directly to your shut-off valve as a single piece unit. We recommend using flexible stainless steel water flexes as they are easier to attach and are very reliable. If you do have the single piece valve-with-supply-line, we recommend replacing it with a separate shut-off valve and a flexible supply line (two separate pieces).

Water coming from elsewhere in the bathroom: Very often, your toilet will be the lowest fixture in the bathroom causing water from the shower or the bathtub to pool at your toilet. This will make it appear as if the water is coming from the toilet when in fact the cause is much simpler and less expensive. You can try adding a throw rug, or two, to your floors to see if this eliminates the problem.

And Finally…

Leaking from underneath the toilet: The wastewater should only seep past a bad wax ring if the water is backing up from further down the line. Even when a wax seal is bad, the water that is being flushed through a free drain shouldn’t escape past the wax on the closet flange (beneath the toilet) and onto the floor as the water is droppings straight down, directly from the toilet and into the waste line. If the water on your floor is obviously wastewater (indicated by its coloring and noticeable smell), then your problem is likely more than just a bad wax ring. Although you may not be experiencing a recurring overflow problem with your toilet, the water is still most likely backing up and out through the first point of least resistance (from beneath your toilet). Along with resealing your toilet bowl (with a new wax ring and perhaps caulking around the base), we strongly recommend you investigate the possibility of a stoppage in your waste lines. In that case, simply replacing the wax ring would not solve your issue and you could then encounter increased drainage problems due to the existing stoppage in your lines. The new wax ring may then fail if the wastewater was continually backing up to it.

If you are ever in doubt, please contact us either by phone, email,

or use our contact form below.