Richard Harvey of Dunton Green, England is fighting a legal battle with his city’s municipality over a month long water leak that has damaged his home. Richard did not actually notice the leak itself but started seeing mold in a section of his homes. After some investigation and leak detection he found out that a pipe had been leaking for over a month. What makes the problem particularly bothersome is the fact that the county is in the midst of a drought. People are being asked to conserve water while so much gets wasted.

The mold problem has led to a green slime forming on parts of the home’s exterior. Not only is this an eyesore, the mold could be toxic. Richard Harvey has also complained that the mold is slippery and poses a fall risk. South East Water, the local water provider, is currently investigating the problem  but has not yet determined its cause. If a water leak detection service was called soon this problem could have easily been avoided.

Although South East Water has agreed to pay for the damage, the water wasted is not retrievable and it is unclear what the price of restoring the historic English home will be. The price of leaky plumbing can be high.

Vancouver’s Bentall Three Tower, one of the most recognizable parts of the Vancouver skyline, suffered a water leak Monday, April 30^th. Aged infrastructure was blamed for the leak which shut down elevators and flooded some floors with up to 5cm of water.

The 32 story office tower experienced a loss of electrical power in much of the building. All floors below the 18^th floor, where the leak was reported, were closed to workers. The cost of this disruption in business and the cost of repair are yet to be totaled but considering the historic nature of the building and massive corporations that are housed there, the cost is expected to be high. Damage to computer servers and other potentially sensitive equipment is also yet to be determined.

The tower is one of five built in the 1970s that make up the heart of Vancouver’s business district. Leak detection inspections in the other towers will probably occur in the coming weeks. Office buildings often suffer from unreported leaks because people either feel it is not their problem or they don’t know who to report leaks to. Make sure to inspect all commercial properties for leaky plumbing or you could end up in hot water with tenants and local government.

New York City is preparing to raise the cost of water for by about 7%, the second such increase in the past two years. Prices are going to keep climbing as the city being to update and replace an aged water infrastructure. Many home owners are switching to water efficient toilets and showers, inspecting their property for leaky plumbing and taking other steps to conserve water in an attempt to save money.

Considering the majority of New Yorker rent their apartments and many renters do not pay their water bill (the landlords do) the increase is of little concern. Many renters do not realize that they do in fact pay for increased water costs. As the price of water goes up, the cost to landlords goes up. Landlords simply pass off the expenses to tenants in the form of higher rents of building maintenance fees.

Renters who are concerned with increased water costs should contact their landlords. Undetected water leaks could be driving up the cost of water bill which in turn is driving up your rent. Water leak detection services can find the problem and rein in costs. Although you cannot do much about the rising costs of water you can save money by conserving.

It is a well-known fact that a leak on your property can cost you money through increased water bills or property damage or both, but it is less known that a neighbor’s leak can also cost you damage. Your water meter determines how much water you use and that determines your water bill. However if the total water usage of all the dwellings in a building or neighborhood are less than the individual combined readings, the water company spreads the cost of the difference to all the households in the building/area.

Such was the case in Angola, NY. Residents were fighting the city over the increased water bills. The culprit turned out to be  leaking plumbing in a home without residence. Although Angola residents are fighting the city, the law clearly states it is in the jurisdiction that the city make residents pay for increases in the neighborhood’s water readings. The same is true in an apartment building where the individual apartment readings are less than the buildings overall water use.

These legal headaches and monumental wastes of water could have all been stopped by rudimentary leak detection. If you are footing the bill for water you didn’t use, call a leak detection service to find out the source of the problem.

The average water bill is going to double or triple in the coming decade according to the American Water Works Association, a non-profit organization. America’s water infrastructure is long due for an overhaul and the total bill is expected to be over one trillion dollars. Pipes are aging and leaking, most water systems have not been updated to accommodate the growing population. The citizens of this country will have to foot the bill through increased water costs.

Rural and agricultural communities are excepted to be hit hardest because there are less people to pay for the infrastructural costs. The average water bill in this country (though it varies greatly by region) is $335. Many home owners are wondering what they can do now to help defray some of these coming costs.

Many people are calling leak detection agencies in hopes of reducing their water bills before the price increases begin. Leaks can add hundreds to your water bill and in the coming years those hundreds could easily become thousands. Make sure your home is as water efficient as possible now and avoid paying more than you have to. The cost of one leak detection is significantly lower than 10 or more years of increased water bills.

NYU’s Weaver building suffered extensive flooding and water damage last week when an aged water tank on the roof burst. Classes were disrupted Tuesday as crews checked electrical systems, replaced dry wall, and mopped up excess water. Although classes resumed Wednesday crews were still working to replace drywall and prevent mold growth.

Since the library bore the brunt of the damage students were complaining that books were disorganized and unavailable. It is unclear how many books were damaged and how many were misplaced when they were moved from the library.

NYU’s Warren Library is one of the premier mathematical libraries in the nation. Since it is housed in the south wing of the building where the most damage occurred many students are worried about being able to access archived materials. Graduate students and researchers are worried about meeting deadlines while experiencing library delays.

The cost to NYU is expected to be high considering that the library was renovated over the summer. Some of the drywall is being treated with industrial dryers but a good deal needs to be replaced. Water intrusion can occur anywhere even at a modern facility like NYU. Routine leak detection can spare you the long, costly and frustrating process of having to repair water damages.

New York City’s antiquated plumbing is finding itself in the news again this time due to issue of sewage backflow and its environmental impact. Budget cuts aimed at city inspections and infrastructure only add to the problem. New York City’s government officials are not the only ones who need to worry about dated plumbing and water intrusion. The New York Department of Environmental Protection has issued warnings to home owners about sewage backflows that could damage their property and flood their basements.

Since the city’s plumbing infrastructure is so old excess rain water and waste water can get backed up in the system. When the water cannot flow out of the system it can get backed up and leak into people basements causing flooding. A sewage backflow prevention device can stop this from happening to your property. Other waste water that cannot get transported to a treatment facility ends up in the ground. This affects the ground water of NYC and the environment.

The cost of simple maintenance, such as installing a backflow prevention device and having routine leak detection inspections can save you a lot of money in the long run. Basement flooding costs a lot more than the nominal fees one pays for basic maintenance.

If last month’s water main break in the Lower East Side taught us anything it is that many of the city’s water pipes are old. Do you know when your building was erected? Chances are the plumbing has not undergone any major upgrades since then. Old plumbing can cause disastrous leaks, but it does not have to. Pipes degrade and leak over time. Occasional inspections for a leak detection agency can tell you which pipes in your home are at risk of bursting.

Old pipes pose all sorts of risk from water intrusion to rust contaminating your water. A burst pipe can cost you big money. It can flood your home or basement, ruin your belongings, and lead to a loss of water and power in your home. The cost of the repairs for this kind of damage far outweighs the minimal cost of an occasional inspection.

If New York City can be caught off guard with a burst pipe so can you. Due to budget cuts less building inspectors are on the job. That means more potential plumbing problems are going unnoticed. You need to take matters into your own hands with a leak inspection. These inspections are fast, affordable and thanks to infrared technology, completely unobtrusive.

Commuters on Manhattan’s Lower East Side were treated to a rude Valentine’s Day present courtesy of the city’s antiquated plumbing system. A water main on the corner of Delaney and Bowery burst at around 7 on the morning of Valentine’s Day. One commuter said “the entire street was flooded and more water kept bubbling up out of the ground, water was pouring into the train station.”

Area resident reported brown water and power issues after the incident. Con Ed and city authorities were scrambling to contain the damage but the costs are expected to reach into the millions.

Cutbacks in funding may be to blame for this incident. With less city inspectors and sewer workers on the job as well as shortfalls in the city maintenance budget a lot of the city’s 100 plus year old infrastructure is being neglected. The pipe burst came as a rude awakening to city officials who were caught off guard.

The city’s problems are analogous of many home owners. They try to save money by cutting back on water intrusion protection. Then when something does go wrong they end up footing a bill exponentially larger than the nominal maintenance fee. Low cost leak detection today can save you from a costly burst pipe tomorrow.

Water intrusion can have deleterious effects on your health. It’s not just water that drips down into your apartment. Think about all the different layers of sediment that water passes through. It could easily have chemicals from your drywall, paint, insulation, or roof tar. You don’t want that chemically tainted water pooling in your apartment. Cleaning it up constantly can expose you to these chemicals. Then, when you dispose of this water, it ends up in the groundwater.

Call a water leak detection service before your next outburst of leaks. It can tell you where the leak is coming from which will allow you to take reparative action. Allowing water to become contaminated with chemicals is irresponsible.

Water can also create mold in your apartment. Mold is hard to test for and get rid of. Mold typically grows in dark areas where moisture builds up. If an area is constantly being exposed to water in the form of leaks, mold can develop. Don’t allow this to happen in your home.

The healthy and responsible thing to do is deal with leaks immediately. You don’t want those chemicals getting into the ground water or into your body. Make sure to contact a leak detection agency at the first signs of trouble.