1. The water meter test.
Turn off every water-using thing in the house. Find your water meter and note the reading (or watch the leak-indicator dial — often a small triangle or gear). Wait 30 minutes without using any water, then check again. If the numbers moved, you have a leak somewhere.
2. The toilet dye test.
Toilets are the most common silent leak. Put a few drops of food coloring in the tank (not the bowl) and wait 15 minutes without flushing. If color shows up in the bowl, your flapper is leaking — an easy, cheap fix that can waste hundreds of gallons a day.
3. Check your bill trend.
Pull up the last 12 months of water usage. A steady climb, or a sudden jump with no change in habits, is a classic leak signature. Many DFW utilities show this graph right in your online account.
4. Walk the obvious spots.
Look under every sink, behind the toilet, around the water heater, and at the washing machine hoses. Feel for damp, look for rust or mineral crust on fittings, and sniff for that musty smell that means moisture has been sitting.
5. Watch for the subtle signs.
Warm spots on the floor, peeling paint, a patch of grass that's greener than the rest of the yard, or the faint sound of running water with everything off — these all point to a hidden leak, sometimes a slab leak.
Need a hand? Call us at 469·407·5370 or book online — we're on call across DFW 24/7.