If there’s one sound that no one enjoys hearing in their home, it’s that signature “drip, drip, drip” that signals to a leak somewhere in the house.
A lot of people find that noise to be more troublesome than the actual leak itself, but this is not a good position to take. A leak can represent a real problem to your home, and here’s why that is, and what you should do about it.
Your Early Warning Signal
A leak itself may be easy to set aside because it seems like such a small thing. But unfortunately, a leak is just a symptom of a larger, ongoing problem.
Ignoring the leak is like admitting that you’re not interested in solving a problem cheaply and efficiently, but would rather pay more money and spend more time dealing with a very serious problem. Even the leak itself can start costing you money, depending on how serious it is. A home may lose anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 gallons of water on an annual basis just because of leaks. If those leaks occur in pipes that run throughout the home, this may also result in water damage to ceilings or walls where continued leakage erodes the building materials over time.
Find the Problem
Dealing with a leak first means knowing where it is and what the severity of the problem.
In the best case scenario, you’ll know the leak is at your faucet because you’ll see it there, and discover that maybe all you need to do is tighten the fixture somewhere with a wrench.
In other scenarios, your leak could be at a toilet, your water heater, your water pipe or even your sewage pipe.
In some cases, a leak will be serious enough that you can track how much water you’re losing by using your water meter. Just shut off your water supply, so no more water is being actively pumped through your home.
Consult your water meter to see if it is still tracking water being used. If it is, this means that your leak is pretty serious.
Prevention Helps
Sparing yourself from a costly and expensive repair is avoidable if you take some preventive action beforehand. Dealing with leaks as soon as they happen is definitely a good idea.
Taking the time to examine your various pipes and drains to see if they have leaks is also a good way not to get caught off guard by a big problem that’s been brewing without your knowledge.
You can also try some tricks to keep your pipes in better shape. Hard water in your pipes, for example, can decrease the lifespan of your pipes which is why “soft water,” or water with fewer minerals, is gentler on your home. In the same way, low water pressure is easier on your pipes than high water pressure, which put an unnecessary strain your water infrastructure.