10 Essential Things about Plumbing Leaks

Plumbing can be overwhelming most of the time, but you’ll be just fine if you know about the basics especially when it comes to plumbing leaks.

1. Wrap pipes. Its most vital aspect is the exterior piping. If your furnace shuts off for 24 hours or more or if cold water pipes are in contact with the outer part of your home when water is seldom used during the winter season, you’ll end up with frozen pipes. Water will not freeze if it is moving all the time, so it makes a lot of sense to leave faucets open when you’re outside for quite some time as long as you have good insulation at home.
2. Check pipes.  You may not have a keen eye for spotting things when everything is working just fine, but it’s easier to identify problems when you see one, such as a plumbing leak. Check out your visible pipes every once in a while so you are aware of its condition. Many homeowners fail at doing necessary routine checks like this, so they are caught off guard once they see a puddle of water down in the basement. Flooding within the home can damage valuables and prove to be a significant and costly inconvenience. The sad thing is that Edmonton homeowners are often clueless that something is wrong with their plumbing. It may be true that you’re not an expert when it comes to assessing pipes, but the presence of rust and dripping water is a dead giveaway that you have a plumbing leak at home.
3. Unplug sinks.  Plumbing leaks are common if you have a plugged sink. Check below your sink from time to time to see if there are leaks. It doesn’t take long to take a peek down there and doing so can be a lifesaver.
4. Set back the spigot valve.  At times, you need to install a frost-free hose bib especially if your pipes passes by a cement foundation. This hose bib will let you shut off the water nearby your home to prevent it from freezing.
5. Radiators must have an open and a right level valve. What you first need to do is to check the radiator’s pitch. It must be always pitched back in the direction of the steam’s source. By doing that, the water can drain back to your boiler once it condenses.
6. Leaky water heater = dead water heater.  Your biggest challenge is the wearing away of the lining that’ll lead to water leaking from the base. If you can see plenty of water dripping, contact the manufacturer, give them your unit’s model number and cross your fingers that your unit is still under warranty. Try to put a pan below your water heater when changing it the next time.
7. Never blow a gasket, only replace it.  Plumbing leaks that are coming from your shower spout mostly indicate you have a bad seat or washer. It will be a no-fuss fix if you have installed isolation valves to isolate the water in that particular area. Isolate the water flowing to that shower, take off all the handles and then remove the washer’s stem. Afterwards, change it, reinstall and evaluate how it now works.
8. Trace the back of your wall for trap leaks.  In the case of plumbing leaks, it usually can be found at the back where it connects to your wall. You must take off all the drain work to fix it. But then, you can likewise try tightening the connection manually to check if the leak stops. If not, grab a wrench to tighten it some more.
9. Replace worn washers.  It is cheaper to buy o-rings and washers rather than a brand new fixture.  With worn washers, plumbing leaks are expected even if you squeeze it because it is already defective. Take off the faulty part, put a new washer in place, tighten it before putting the handle back on and see how it works.
10. Replace old faucets.  Mechanical faucets will not last you a lifetime. Faucets are mechanical by nature.  So, a leak will happen sooner or later. Some homeowners often like their existing faucet than to purchase a new one. Later on, their older faucet will corrode and no longer work like it used to. By then, you just have to accept the fact that installing a new one is way cheaper than settling with what you already have.

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