You Got Me Straight Drippin’, Boo!
Plumbers get a lot of calls about leaks, drips, and mystery spikes in water bills. We can upgrade bathroom fixtures and pipes, plumb new additions or remodels, or connect your new undermount kitchen sink. But, Raleigh, you’re straight drippin’, so we have some tips on some of the most common sources of your plumbing woes.
1. Dripping Faucets
Dripping faucets are a fact of life. Relative to most other aspects of plumbing, they have a lot of moving parts. Parts wear with time. Eventually, you find yourself climbing into bed after a long day, turning the lamp off, and taking a deep breath to soak in the silence and drift off to sleep when you hear *drip…drip…drip…* Ugh. Back up to investigate. The kitchen faucet is to blame this time.
This seemingly unimportant leak requires attention. As tempting as it may be to put it off for a while, don’t do it. According to the Alliance for Water Efficiency, a slow leak of only one drop every two seconds will waste 1,000 gallons of water in a year. This really adds up, costing you more money over time.
This is one of the most common plumbing leaks in any home. There are a few different types of faucets used in most homes today, so repair methods vary. Generally, this is a pretty quick fix. This is also the perfect time to inspect the other faucets in your house for leaks given that most are likely about the same age.
2. Toilet Leaks
Toilets are another of the most likely culprits to have you dripping. The trouble here is that these leaks aren’t always so obvious. You’ll likely hear large leaks, but smaller ones are often wasting your money without you realizing it. Given how common this is, it’s a good idea to have a plumber take a look at your toilets even if you aren’t sure you need a repair.
Toilet leaks are sometimes easy to repair if you’re a handy homeowner, but they can be complicated and require a professional. It could be as simple as adjusting the water level in the tank or as involved as removing the entire toilet to inspect the wax ring and flange for leaks causing floor damage.
3. Leaky Pipe Joints
If you hear dripping that isn’t as easy to spot as a faucet, find out what’s going on FAST. You could just have a slowly leaking U joint under a sink or other kind of joint in your crawl space. You could also have joints in the walls of your house that are damaging the structure of your home! This has the potential to end up costing thousands of dollars if you have damage to sheetrock, framing, or the sub-flooring of your house.
Damage will depend on how long this has been going on, so if you even suspect a problem, have it checked out by a plumber. This is even more common for anyone who still has polybutylene joints in their house.
4. Appliance Leaks
Appliance leaks can be caused by a couple of different things. Most often, it’s just normal wear and tear on washing machine fixtures or an aging or damaged seal on a dishwasher door. Sometimes there are problems with the water lines of refrigerators.
Occasionally, we see appliance problems that are caused by too much water pressure. Lots of water pressure seems great when you’re taking a shower, but it can stress your appliances over time. If you aren’t sure if you have too much, it’s worth contacting a plumber to protect your investment.
5. Splash Leaks Around Bathtubs
Okay, we know this isn’t technically a plumbing leak. But given the amount of damage that is caused in bathrooms every year by this, we want you to know to keep a closer eye on it. Signs of existing problems include curling linoleum, water marks or rot on quarter round trim, and moldy spots growing around the shower or tub. If you have shower doors, keep them well caulked. Keep an eye on how much water gets on the floor from shower curtains.
The danger here is that what looks minor can turn into substantial damage to walls and flooring over time. As that progresses and the heavy fixtures of your bathroom begin to shift on damaged flooring, stress can be put on their own plumbing.
Raleigh, we’ve got your back. When your pipes are drippin’ and damaged floors have you trippin’, we want to be the plumbing company you can trust to do the job fast and to do it RIGHT. Check out all of our great reviews on Google, and give us a call!