Why You Should Never Ignore Leaks and Drips

For most homeowners, the formula for dealing with the plumbing seems to be “out of sight, out of mind”. That may work in the short term, but in the long run that’s just a way of setting yourself up for bigger problems down the line. Leaks and drips are a fact of life, and the best way to deal with them is proactively. It’s not difficult to make checking for leaks part of your routine home maintenance tasks, and finding and fixing them early on can help prevent an emergency call to the pipe repair service.

Does that leak really matter?
You know that tap that’s been dripping slowly in the basement sink? Or the tiny puddles of water that seem to collect under the toilet tank? Or the dripping sound you hear when you shut off the faucet in the bathroom sink? It’s easy to ignore them, but they could be building up to serious problems. For one thing, even small leaks and drips add up and they can be expensive.
According to Plumbing Manufacturers International, leaks are responsible for as much as 13.7% of all water usage. One out of ten U.S. households has leaks that can waste as much as 90 gallons of water every single day. That’s quite a hit to your water bill. And if you live in a drought-prone area, it also a burden on the environment.

Do you need pipe repair services?
Drips and leaks are not only wasteful, they also threaten the foundations and structural integrity of the building. Depending on where they are found, leaks can weaken walls and foundations, and cause major problems that will be expensive to fix later. Finding and repairing leaks in a timely manner can save you a lot of worry and expense down the road.
Fortunately, most plumbers and contractors are always willing to share their knowledge and helpful tips with you. There are some basic leak detection methods that you can use to locate the problems, before calling the professional plumbers to fix them. Whether they’re indoor or outdoor, leak repair should be done immediately.

Finding leaks in time
The leaks and drips you can see and hear are bad enough, but even worse are those you can’t see or hear. How, then, do you know if there is a problem? Some of the signs that tell you how to locate the problem areas are: water stains on walls, floors and ceilings; a higher water bill; and curling floors and loose tiles in the kitchen or bathroom. Sinks can leak around the edges and damage the countertop.
Sometimes you can hear a dripping sound when you shut off the faucet in the bathroom or kitchen sink. This indicates a leak in the plumbing and may require a call to the pipe repair service. Some people tend to put off leak repairs, because it doesn’t seem urgent. But small leaks can suddenly develop into major problems without warning, and a drip in the laundry sink can turn into a flooded basement in less than no time.

With plumbing, actually the correct formula for homeowners is “prevention is better than cure”. With regular maintenance checks, you can identify any problems early on. At this stage they can be fixed with a call to the pipe repair services before they threaten the entire structure of the house.