How to determine if your water pipes are really leaking

Good advice taken from other blog,

"One of my friend came to me complaining that the JBA is trying to cheat her money. Her latest water bill was Rm235.36 sen! She shouted at me as though I was the guy collecting the money from her! I calmed her down and assured her that the JBA don’t go round cheating people, her water pipes must have sprang a leak somewhere.

Many a times, money has been wasted just like that. A simple leak that went unnoticed until you receive your water bill. Some leaks are really sneaky. You don’t see any wet spots. You don’t see any water shooting out in your garden. Of course leaks that you can see with your naked eyes are easily detectable and immediate action can be taken. Problem is, some leaks occur underground and all the water just gets seeped deeper into the ground while you are happily sleeping away. So how do you determine if there is a hidden leakage?

First turn off all your taps and stop corks in your house. Remember, ALL THE CORKS! Then go and observe your water meter for at least 15 minutes. Sometimes, the leak could be very small during the daytime as everybody is using water, but it becomes a big leak at night when the pressure goes up due to less usage. If the meter reading moves even if a wee bit, chances are you have a leak somewhere. You can wait for for bill to come and then confirm your suspicions (sometimes it CAN be a negligible leak)or you can call your plumber in for a quotation. They will know what to do for this is not a DIY case anymore."