Water leaks are caused either from damage to the outside of the pipe or corrosion from the inside of pipes. Metal pipes (iron, stainless, or copper) are most resistant to external forces but most often corrode from the inside. Water quality and excessive pressure are the primary reasons for these pipes corroding and developing pinhole leaks. Plastic pipes (PVC, CPVC, & PEX) are far more resistant to internal corrosion but more susceptible to forces from the outside of the piping. Overall PEX waterlines are the most durable waterlines, and rarely corrode from the inside. PEX waterlines most often develop pinhole leaks from vibration against an external object, such as a rock, a root, or a stud in the wall with a poorly cut hole.

The most common ways of discovering a leak are from visible water damage or an increased water bill. If you have either of these, the problem needs to be identified and repaired quickly to prevent further damage to the plumbing and to the home.

The most common water leaks are running toilets. These usually do not cause damage to the home, but waste hundreds of gallons of water leaking water from the tank, down into the bowl, even when the toilet is not being used. The next most common leak is a leaking faucet and after that is a leak in an actual pipe or fitting underground. Underground pipes (Such as in the main water service to your home) develop leaks more easily because of electrolysis from the electric charges in the ground and from rocks and roots pushing their way into the piping from natural earth forces.

Water leaks inside your home are most often caused by either extreme water pressure or poor water quality. When a leak is caused by extreme water pressure, this means that the pressure regulator to your home probably needs to be replaced. The city or local municipality usually pumps in water at high pressures of 120 to 160 psi. to ensure that there is adequate water to every home in the area. However, your home's plumbing is only rated for operating at about 65psi. Code requires that a pressure regulator be installed inside each home where the main comes into the building. This regulator reduces the high pressure down to the safe pressure that the homes plumbing can operate at. When these valves go bad (and they do all the time), the pressure to the home skyrockets, oftentimes causing many leaks. If water quality is your problem, water treatment is the best way to remove the chlorine and hardness that is very damaging to your home's water piping. Chlorine destroys rubber gaskets and seals throughout the home and hardness creates buildup inside the pipes that can cause pitting and thinning in metal portions of your plumbing (Like shower valves) especially. Get your pressure regulator and water quality checked by a professional if you have leaks developing consistently in your home.

As a 5th generation master plumber, I cannot recall one time that a visible leak ever improved on its own. If a pipe is leaking, it is deteriorating faster and getting worse. If you have a plumbing leak, call Tennessee Standard to get all your options for fixing the leak and preventing further damage.

You will often see the effects of a water leak if it is inside the home. Some interior leaks, such as running toilets and leaking faucets will leak down the drainpipe without causing damage to the home. In this case, the leak is visible but not necessarily a puddle on the ground.
When a pipe is leaking in the ground outside, sometimes the water comes to the surface and creates a visible wet or green spot in the yard. Other times, the water will flow underground to the nearest water runoff point and it is unobservable to the homeowner.

The best way to determine if one has a water leak in their main water service outside is to shut off the water main just inside the home and then go observe the water meter. If the meter is still running, and water is turned off inside the home, you can know that there is a water leak underground. At Tennessee Standard, we can locate and repair leaking water lines as well as replace water mains so that you do not have to deal with this problem anymore.

If your water meter is counting even though there is no visible water running, then you may have an underground water leak that is not coming to the surface. This can be tested using the water main test written above. The other most common unseen water leak is a running toilet. Pulling the lids to your toilets will show you if the water is overflowing into the fill tube and continuously running into the toilet bowl, wasting a ton of water.

Used before the 1980's, galvanized piping is extremely susceptible to rust and corrosion, and carries lead into your home and ultimately to your body. Some of the meanest water line repairs on this material.

The plumbing world's best answer to the flaws of galvanized piping was copper pipe. Tougher against rust, copper is much more expensive and is prone to developing subtle pinholes that can spray for months before growing into full-scale plumbing floods.

The cheapest material to use for water supply is PVC and CPVC, but because the piping is much more brittle, freezing and age can destroy these lines and cause problems.

The latest and greatest solution in the plumbing realm is PEX piping, which is extremely durable and flexible while keeping cost much lower than copper.

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