My Supply
How to check for a leak at home
If you think you have a leak at home, there are a few ways you can test your supply to check before you get a plumber in to fix it.
Check for the first signs of a leak
When you have a leak, spotting these early signs might help you to get it found and fixed early, before it becomes a bigger problem.
Things to look out for include:
- a wet patch in your grass or paving
- an area of grass growing much quicker than that around it
- sunken patches or slabs of paving
- a change in water pressure
Tests you can carry out yourself
There are a couple of easy tests you can do to check for leaks before you get the professionals in.
To make sure the tests are accurate, you’ll need to run them when you’re not going to use water for at least three hours. So overnight or when you’re out at work is often a good time to do it.
If you’re on a water meter and you’ve recently received a bill that’s higher than you would normally expect, it could be an indication of a leak on one of your pipes.
How to check for a leak if you have a water meter
If you have a water meter, this test might help you. However not all metered customers will have the kind of meters that allow you to carry out this test. If your meter is internal, complete the following steps:
The reading on your meter should not have changed during the time between the two readings.
If the meter reading has changed, this could mean that you have an internal leak. You will need to contact a plumber to carry out the repair.
If you’re unsure, you can contact Severn Trent and request a free diagnostic visit from one of our engineers, who will identify the cause.
If you have a digital meter with an LCD screen and the reading has changed at this point, we may need to inspect your meter to make sure that it's working properly.
You can get in touch with us to arrange a water meter inspection.
If your meter still shows the same reading after completing the first part of the test, you should continue by following these steps:
1. Turn your internal stop tap on.
2. Wait ten minutes, making sure you still don't use any water.
3. Take a note of the meter reading.
If the meter reading has changed, this would indicate there is an internal leak at your property.
How to check for a leak if you’re not on a water meter
If you're not on a meter, and you think your water isn’t flowing as it should, you can carry out a quick test to check your water pressure.
If your water is flowing properly, it should fill a litre container in about 7 seconds. If it takes much longer than this, there may be a problem with your water pressure.
Check for known problems in your area before you contact us as it may already have been reported.
You can report a problem to us online, by talking to our customer care team on webchat or by calling us on 0800 783 4444.
Contact a local plumber
If you have visible water or damp, we would advise you to find an approved plumber near you who can investigate the cause.
How to report a leak
How you report a leak depends on who is responsible for the maintenance of pipes and drains in that part of the network.
Report a leak at your home
If you have a leak on pipework within your property boundary, after your external stop tap, you’ll need to find a plumber to repair it. If you rent your home, you should contact your landlord or letting agent to arrange a repair.
Report a leak on our network
If you’ve detected or spotted a leak on anything we own, let us know as soon as possible so we can make sure it gets fixed. We just need details about where it is and how fast the leak is.
How we find and fix leaks
