Leaks in your home can cost you money in several different ways. You might see a much higher water bill or find out you have a pinhole leak that has caused extensive drywall damage, which is not inexpensive to repair. Fortunately, if you keep a lookout for a few things, you can prevent leaks or at least catch them right away and minimize any resulting damage.
Don’t Let Your Toilets Run
In severe cases, toilets can develop slow leaks that cause them to lose up to 200 gallons of water a day. If your toilet runs, you might need the flap and other parts of the internal flushing mechanism replaced. If you hear the toilet hissing, you could have a leak. You can spot a leaky toilet with some food coloring and a simple test.
To see if your toilet has sprung a leak, add a few drops of food coloring to the water in the toilet tank. Don’t flush — just wait for a few hours. If you see that any color has seeped into your toilet’s bowl, your toilet leaks, and you need to call a plumber.
Sudden Water Pressure Drops
If you are experiencing low water pressure, check first for mineral deposits blocking water flow in your shower and faucet heads. Next, look for any leaks, puddles, or condensation around your kitchen and bathroom pipes. If you find evidence of leaks, call a plumber right away before water seeps into walls or flooring or comes through ceilings below.
If you are experiencing our common snowy winter weather in Syracuse, NY or another central New York community, your home could have a burst or leaky pipe. If your neighbors also experience decreased water pressure, call your water municipality and ask about any breaks or leaks in lines that bring water into your neighborhood.
Check Your Water Heater
Water heater tanks have an expected life of 10 to 12 years. When you inspect your home’s water heater, look for water or condensation around the unit. A plumber can inspect your unit to look for leaks, failing heating elements, and loose pipes or electrical connections. Your plumber can also install a leak-detection system, which makes sense if you have an older water heater that does not yet need replacement.
If Your Home Is a Fixer-Upper
If you just bought a fixer-upper home, do not assume that the inspector caught everything in the initial home inspection. If the house was built in the 1980s or earlier, you might find it has polybutylene or galvanized steel pipes. In either case, these pipes are known to become brittle, cracked, and eroded over time. Have a professional plumber come out and thoroughly inspect the pipes and plumbing fixtures.
Find a Leak? What to Do Next
Plumbing leaks can be sneaky — water soaks through and destroys carpet, drywall, cupboards, ceilings, and more. If you have a leak problem, the sooner you address it, the sooner you can avoid any other damage to your home and the resulting costs to repair.
At Country Gentleman Plumbing, we have been inspecting homes, repairing leaks, and more for over 50 years. We have seen and fixed it all! Call us today, and our licensed, insured plumbers will give you a free estimate. With our fast, affordable service, your plumbing issues will soon be a thing of the past.
