The average American home wastes 10,000 gallons of water every year in water leaks alone. If you have a leak in your home, you can avoid wasting water by taking care of the leak as quickly as possible. Learn more about what to do if you suspect you have a water leak.
Water Leak Detection
Some water leaks are easy to pinpoint. You may see the leak coming from exposed pipes or a plumbing fixture somewhere in your home. However, not all water leaks are as easy to find. You can identify a leak if you notice a significant surge in your water usage compared to previous months. However, you may not know exactly where the leak exists. You can check your fixtures for low water pressure and search for pools of water around your home and yard to help. You can also get professional water leak detection to find the leak.
Types of Leaks
Leaks are generally categorized by the severity of the leak. Pinhole leaks refer to the smallest (and hardest to identify) leak. Many homes have pinhole leaks that go untreated since the homeowners aren't even aware that they exist. The pinhole leaks can eventually grow over time, though. Eventually, pinhole leaks can become moderate leaks. If a pipe bursts, you may experience a gushing leak. Gushing leaks create the most damage and waste the most water.
Fixing a Leak
There are a number of variables that will determine how you treat a particular leak. If the leak exists at a connector, you may simply need to replace the connector. For pinhole leaks that exist on exposed pipes, sometimes the pipes can be bandaged with special waterproof sealant. However, generally speaking, this is only a temporary solution. Ultimately, you will need to replace the piping. Piping tends to last 50 - 100+ years, based on the type of material.
If you have a leak in your sewer line, you will need to replace the underground pipes, which can be arduous if plumbers need to dig into the ground. Look for a plumbing company that offers trenchless pipe repair and replacement. There are two main types of trenchless pipe repair: relining and pipe bursting. Relining involves filling the old pipe with epoxy and then allowing it to harden. Pipe bursting shatters the old pipe while feeding the new pipe through the old pipe's frame.
Water leaks are a common plumbing problem. For more information, contact a company like Leak Finders Of Central Florida.
