Leaks can occur anywhere in a house. Even a small leakage from a pipe or a clogged drain can lead to serious troubles later on. If not detected on time, it can be damaging for the walls, floors and other areas of the home. If there would be a leakage at some place, there will be some signs of it. So never ignore them and get them repaired at the earliest.

If there is a leak, there will be some water stains as well. The place where you find the leak can tell you from where it has originated. Like, if you notice stains around exterior doors and windows, then the water is getting in from the outside.

If you find some stains on the ceiling, then there might be some leakage in your roof. There can also be some problem in the plumbing lines inside you attic. If you have a leaky sink or a pipe, you will notice stains at the bottom of the cabinet.

In certain areas, even the floor can develop stains, specially if it is a wooden floor. The areas that are most likely to develop stains due to leaks are : kitchen floor around the dishwasher or the refrigerator, or in front of a poorly sealed window. If you notice water rings around the toilet or in front of the tub or shower, be alert.

Soft and moist beams is another problem that can arise due to water leaks and it can be very expensive to get such structural issues fixed.

You can do the food coloring test to detect any leakage in your toilet. You just have to remove the lid and flush. After it refills, add some food coloring substance. After 15- 20 minutes, if you notice any traces of color in the toilet bowl, then there is a leak.

Many of these signs and symptoms of water damage are apparent after a good length of time, and in many cases extensive damage has already been done. A handy device to alert you of a leak in the early stages is a water-leak alarm.

It is a plug in system and is operated on a battery. It has a sensor pad which you will place at high risk areas like under the washer etc. It will give a sound as soon as it senses water around it.