How to Use a Cheap Water Pressure Gauge to Detect Leaks [Active Plumbing Leak Test Demo]

Covering how to run a standard 15 minute plumber’s test to detect supply plumbing leaks using a water pressure gauge AND how to detect the location of the leak--or at least as close as you can with a water pressure gauge.

OUR GO-TO PLUMBING LEAK DEBUGGING/PREVENTION PRODUCTS:

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COME SAY HI!

[simonstait]

Thank you so much
We had a leak but it seems to have stopped now, so I was wondering how I can check if the leak is under the house.
Using my pressure gauge and shutting off, I can see if the pressure drops using the 15 minute test

[DomnSan]

By turning off water at the meter vs turning water off at your home shut off valve, wouldn't you also be monitoring for a leak in the water line between your meter and home?

[papasjournal]

I did the pressure gauge test in our water line, pressure drops after closing the valve before the water meter (indicating a leak). but if the valve is open the meter is totally still. Any idea please.

[jah]

I've watched a lot of videos about using gauges to test for water leak, but none have describe what is a normal pressure drop? Is a drop of 2 psi in 15 minutes acceptable? I did a one hour and four hour test on my home water line. In one hour, the pressure dropped 10 psi. In 4 hours, the pressure was zero. Do I have a leak or is this a normal pressure drop? We had a leak detector come to our home and he could not find a leak based on the 15 minute test. Thank you.

[PCleo]

Hi, I’ve done two tests to detect water leak. First test shows I have a leak but second test shows no leak. Can you please advise.
1) I experienced a decrease in my water pressure gauge after I fully turned off the valve at the water meter outside my house. I thought it is completely normal to have a decrease in water pressure and that doesn’t mean there is a leak, right? But your video explained it differently.

2) I let the valve of water meter remain turn on and then take the first reading. After 24 hours, I came back and took the second reading. The reading remain unchanged. So it means no leak.

If I really have water leaks, my meter reading should have increased accordingly and not remain unchanged.

Hope to get your reply soon. Thanks

[emilygonzalez]

some of my gauges have the waterline like yours but some of my other ones have water in them all the way to the top so that you can’t see a waterline. is this any sort of indication that there’s something wrong with my gauges?

[hyperionproductions]

I tried the 15 minutes and detected no leak but when i tried 24 hrs there is a drop in pressure

[Blue_Dun]

If the gauge shows no change at all, is that a 100% guarantee there's no leak? We put in engineered wood floors on a concrete slab and some of the planks in our living room crowned along one side of the room. We had a leak in the ice maker hose, which we discovered perhaps weeks or months after it started, so we assumed that was the culprit. However, after taking out that portion of the flooring and running fans on it for more than a month, one area is still over the limit on a moisture meter (13 to 15%).

[wcknecht]

With well water Is it completely necessary to turn off the water main for the first 15 min test? Particularly with a camera on the gauge? Wouldn't the pressure fall until the well pump is kicked on?

[kitcarsoncarson]

I liked the video but I can't understand most of the audio.