If you are looking to save water and money around your property, finding and fixing leaks is a great first step. Using a tool like WaterSmart can help you stay notified of possible leaks with their Leak Alert notifications. Using readings from your smart water meter, WaterSmart can recognize abnormal patterns and continuous flows of water and send you a message to let you know about potential leaks. If you’ve received a Leak Alert or suspect that there might be a leak on your property, keep reading for more information and resources to help you find where the leaks are located.

 

Leak Detection Resources

Indoor Leaks

  • If you have received a Leak Alert from WaterSmart, you can investigate the leak by using the Leak Detection tool in your WaterSmart Customer Portal. The Leak Detection tool will guide you around your home and ask various questions to help you find the source of your leak. While using the tool, you can take notes and leave comments to let us know if you find and stop a leak.
  • If you don’t currently have access to WaterSmart or the Leak Detection tool, Valley Water’s DIY Indoor Survey is another great alternative! This document contains various tests and tips to help you track down possible leaks, and even has links to video tutorials that you can follow along with.
  • If you’re looking for quick ways to find leaks, check out the EPA’s 10 Minute WaterSense Challenge! This challenge includes a straight forward checklist with common areas and appliances to look out for. More information about leak detection and repair can be found at the EPA’s Fix a Leak Week page.

Outdoor Leaks

  • If you suspect that the leak may be coming from your irrigation system, consider scheduling a Water Wise Outdoor Survey. With Valley Water’s free service, a trained irrigation professional will come to your property and assess your current irrigation system and habits. make recommendations to help you save water, and even let you know if the irrigation system is leaking. Please note that the inspector will not be checking for underground leaks, and they will not repair any detected leaks. If you are interested in a landscape or irrigation equipment rebate, the surveyor can provide information about the rebate program, and even preform your pre-inspection while on site.
  • If you have a pool, you can check for leaks by performing an Evaporation Bucket Test, found on page 8 of the EPA’s Jump Into Pool Water Efficiency Guide. This guide also provides helpful tips and best practices for saving water and energy with your pool.

 

FAQ

I've found a leak, what's next?

If you’ve found a leak on your property, be sure to get it repaired in a timely manner to prevent water waste, water damage, and expensive water bills! If you find and successfully fix a leak, you can submit a Leak Adjustment Request form to our Finance Customer Service team. For questions and concerns regarding leak adjustments, please contact the Finance Customer Service team at FinanceCustomerService@milpitas.gov or call them at (408) 586-3100.

If you notice that the leak is in the main line or on the City’s side of the meter, please call us at (408) 586-2666 or send us an email at water@milpitas.gov. We will send our staff to repair the leak. You can also submit a service request using the MyMilpitas app.

I've tried looking for a leak and I can't find anything. What should I do now?

If you can’t find a leak using the resources listed above, consider calling a plumber for help. Oftentimes, leaks can be in areas that aren’t used or seen frequently, at your meter or under your home. If this is the case, a plumber can help you find and fix your leak. If you believe the continuous water use is due faulty water meter hardware or incorrect readings, please reach out to us. We can schedule a technician to visit your property to ensure your water meter is working properly.

 

How can I stay proactive and prevent leaks?

Signing up for WaterSmart is a great way to stay informed and be alerted to changes in your water use. All single family residences accounts are automatically enrolled to receive an alert via email if a continuous or burst leak is detected. You can stay in the know by updating your communication preferences and enabling text or voice message alerts.

Another great way to prevent future leaks is by regularly monitoring your plumbing fixtures;. By checking and tightening your fixtures periodically, you can reduce the risk of them coming lose and leaking.