How to Check Your Home for Leaks Before They Flood

The checks here are for homes in Natchitoches and Opelousas alike, and they need no special tools. For the service itself, the water removal page gives a general outline. When a check finds something, a professional is the next step.

Look for stains and damp spots

The simplest check is a look. Walk the home once a month and look at the ceilings, the high walls, and the floors, for stains, damp patches, and paint or wallpaper that bubbles and peels. Look under sinks, behind toilets, around the base of the water heater, and at the floor around the washing machine and the dishwasher. A stain that grows after rain points to a roof leak, and a damp patch that returns after mopping points to a leak below.

Note the date you first see anything, and take a photograph. Photographs taken over a few days show whether a mark is spreading, fading, or staying the same, and that pattern is useful information for a professional. A mark that is getting worse is a mark worth a call, even if the floor looks dry.

The simplest check is a look. Walk the home once a month and look at the ceilings, the high walls, and the floors, for stains, damp patches, and paint or wallpaper that bubbles and peels. Look under sinks, behind toilets, around the base of the water heater, and at the floor around the washing machine and the dishwasher. A stain that grows after rain points to a roof leak, and a damp patch that returns after mopping points to a leak below.

Feel the floors and the walls

The second check is a feel. Walk the floors barefoot once a month, and notice any spot that feels soft, spongy, or warmer than the floor around it. A soft floor points to water held inside the flooring, and a warm spot on a slab floor can point to a hot-water pipe leaking beneath. Press the lower part of the walls in the bathroom and kitchen, and notice any spot that feels soft or damp.

These are checks of the materials themselves, and they catch what the eye misses. A floor that looks dry can still be wet underneath, and a wall that looks sound can still be damp inside. The feel of a floor or a wall is often the first sign that water is present, and it is worth trusting.

Note the date you first see anything, and take a photograph. Photographs taken over a few days show whether a mark is spreading, fading, or staying the same, and that pattern is useful information for a professional. A mark that is getting worse is a mark worth a call, even if the floor looks dry, because a leak found early is a smaller job than the same leak found late.

How to Check Your Home for Leaks Before They Flood — Louisiana water guide

Listen and smell

The third check is a listen and a smell. A dripping sound inside a wall, a toilet that runs without stopping, and a tap that drips when it is off are all sounds that point to water going somewhere it should not be. A musty smell in a room that was dry before is a sign of dampness held inside materials, and it often appears before any visible sign.

These quiet signs are easy to dismiss, and they are the ones most worth acting on, because a hidden leak runs for days or weeks before it shows on the surface. If a room smells musty, or if you hear water running when no tap is on, look for the source, and call if you cannot find it.

The second check is a feel. Walk the floors barefoot once a month, and notice any spot that feels soft, spongy, or warmer than the floor around it. A soft floor points to water held inside the flooring, and a warm spot on a slab floor can point to a hot-water pipe leaking beneath. Press the lower part of the walls in the bathroom and kitchen, and notice any spot that feels soft or damp.

Check the water meter

The fourth check is the water meter. Note the reading, make sure no water is being used in the home, and check the reading again after an hour. If it has moved, water is going somewhere it should not be, and that is worth a call. The meter check catches leaks that are hidden behind walls and under floors, because it measures the water going into the home, not the water you can see.

Do the meter check once a month, and keep a note of the readings. A reading that climbs without explanation, or a bill that rises without a change in use, points to a leak somewhere in the system, and the sooner it is found, the smaller the job.

The third check is a listen and a smell. A dripping sound inside a wall, a toilet that runs without stopping, and a tap that drips when it is off are all sounds that point to water going somewhere it should not be. A musty smell in a room that was dry before is a sign of dampness held inside materials, and it often appears before any visible sign.

When a check finds something

When a check finds something, the next step is a call. The number is (877) 624-0105, and availability is confirmed on the call. Describe what you found, where it is, and how it has changed, and mention the meter reading if you have checked it. The technician will assess the area, trace the source where it can be found, remove the water, and check the dampness left behind.

Do not cut into a wall or pull up flooring yourself to find a leak. The source needs to be traced by someone who can check the moisture inside the materials, and who can plan the work from those readings. A check that finds a leak early is a check that has done its job.

The fourth check is the water meter. Note the reading, make sure no water is being used in the home, and check the reading again after an hour. If it has moved, water is going somewhere it should not be, and that is worth a call. The meter check catches leaks that are hidden behind walls and under floors, because it measures the water going into the home.

Key Takeaways

The simplest check is a look.
The second check is a feel.
The third check is a listen and a smell.
The fourth check is the water meter.
When a check finds something, the next step is a call.

Questions About How to Check Your Home for Leaks Before They Flood

What is the simplest leak check I can do?

Walk the home once a month and look for stains, damp patches, and paint or wallpaper that bubbles and peels, under sinks, behind toilets, and around the water heater and the appliances. Note the date you first see anything, and take a photograph.

How does the water meter check work?

Note the reading, make sure no water is being used in the home, and check the reading again after an hour. If it has moved, water is going somewhere it should not be, and that is worth a call.

Can I feel a leak before I see it?

Often, yes. A floor that feels soft or spongy underfoot, a warm spot on a slab floor, and a wall that feels soft or damp at its base are all signs that water is present, even when nothing looks wet.

What if I find something but cannot find the source?

Call a professional and describe what you found. The source needs to be traced by someone who can check the moisture inside the walls and floors, and who can plan the work from those readings.

Your Next Step

If this guide matches what you found at home, the next step is a visit — not a guess. Call and describe what you found, and the visit is arranged from what you describe. The Water Removal page explains what that service covers, and the water removal page explains what that service covers when water has spread to more than one room.

Do not enter flooded rooms while you wait, and if water is leaking, turn off the shut-off valve for that fixture where you can reach it safely from dry ground.

Keep the guides on this site bookmarked: the first guide, the signs guide, and the preparation guide cover the checks worth repeating — after moving in, and after bringing used fixtures home.

Water extraction help is available across Louisiana. See water extraction in Old Mandeville, Mandeville, LA for one local example, or find your town on the service areas page.