A water leak can damage your home, waste water and encourage unwanted organic growth around your home. It’s not possible to see most of the pipework in your home, and it can be hard to realize that a leak has been formed. The best way to protect your home from water leaks is to keep an eye out for some common water leak warning signs. In this article, we will look at four common causes of water leaks and how to identify them.
- Clogged Drain Lines
A clogged drain line is inconvenient, but a bad clog can lead to an overflow or a burst pipe. If there is an obstruction in the air handler drain pan or a gutter is blocked, it could lead to some serious water damage that’s expensive to fix. The best way to avoid this is to keep your HVAC system and gutters clean to prevent the formation of larger clogs. This is a task that you can do yourself, but if you’re not confident contact a local professional plumber for expert help.
- Broken Appliance Seals
When your water using appliances were installed in your home, the contractor should have placed seals around all of the water connectors. There are also seal in other locations, such as your washer and dishwasher doors. As the appliances age, these seals can become less flexible and compromised. Eventually, they may wear out and break entirely allowing water to escape. You may notice that there is condensation on your appliance or there may be puddles of water around the base. The seals will need to be replaced, or if the appliance is older, it may be more economical to replace it.
- Pipe Joint Damage
The areas where the pipes connect are often the most prone to damage. Over time, the joints in your pipes can deteriorate, and this will result in leaks. Sadly, the majority of pipe joints in your home are not visible, and it can be hard to notice a leak. If you have noisy pipes that make a banging or ticking noise when you turn on your hot water, there is a good chance that your pipe joints are operating under pressure.
- Excessive Water Pressure
High water pressure is excellent for showering, but it can cause other problems in your home. If the pressure is excessive or intermittent, it can exert a great deal of strain on your pipes. Modern faucets and pipes are designed to work up to a certain water pressure level. If the water pressure becomes excessive, this can quickly cause bursts and leaks. If the water pressure is set too high, you may notice banging noise in the pipes and spurts or leaks from the faucets. Most
plumbing experts recommend that the water pressure is set at a maximum of 80 PSI to preserve the plumbing system. The water pressure can be adjusted by a professional plumber to make it easier to live with.
By Giovanni Longo President Flood Brothers Plumbing
Giovanni Longo is a 3rd generation master plumber who has been practicing his craft and trade in the greater Los Angeles area for well over a decade and a half. A plumbing and hydraulics-engineering innovator, Giovanni’s particular world-class expertise focuses on dealing with challenging sewer system designs as well as resolving complex commercial and residential draining issues. As a certified Flood Mitigation expert, he is also well versed in a wide variety of water damage and remediation solution.
