Your plumbing system is one of the most used systems in your home. From taking showers and washing dishes to cleaning your clothes and using the bathroom, water is involved with many different activities that you do throughout the day. Unfortunately, if you experience a leak at one of your faucets or other locations throughout your home, it can cause extensive water damage in a short amount of time. We’re going to help you identify these problems and remedy them before they get worse below.
Leaky Faucet
One of the most obvious cases of a plumbing issue in your home is a leaky faucet. This will likely start with just a drip here and there and then turn into a robust, consistent drip. It’s best to address this issue as early on as possible to prevent water waste at your home. If the leak seems to be coming from one of the faucet handles, then you can try to simply tighten it back up to see if that solves the issue.
If the leak is coming out of the faucet head itself, you may have a worn-out washer that can be easily replaced. If you’re unable to fix the leaky faucet on your own, it’s best to call in one of our plumbing professionals to further evaluate the internal components of your faucet and determine whether or not a full replacement is necessary.
Running Toilet
One pesky issue that you may run into is that your toilet seems to be continually running. At first, you may not notice this because it might just be a very small stream of water that keeps entering the bowl. However, as the problem gets worse, you’ll notice that you can consistently hear the water running. Because toilets can use a large amount of water, it’s absolutely necessary to address this issue as early as possible. Otherwise, you’re going to be dealing with some nasty high water bills.
A running toilet can be caused by a few different things. One common one is that there’s too much sediment build up underneath the flapper that closes off the water to the toilet bowl. You can usually use a razor blade to go ahead and scrape off the excess sediment so that the flapper can create a better seal with the bowl. If that doesn’t work, we can further assess the issue to determine if the problem is with the float arm or even a corroded flush valve.
Leaky Pipe
One really frustrating issue you may deal with is a leaky pipe. This could be a water supply pipe, or it could be a drain pipe. Most of these pipes are going to commonly leak around their joints and fittings. However, if one of your pipes has cracking or impact damage, it may have a leak along one of its runs. If it’s a water supply line, you’ll want to shut off the water supply as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.
You can try tightening up loose fittings to see if that solves the issue. If the issue is with the drain pipe, you can also try tightening up those loose fittings. If this doesn’t solve the problem, then you’ll need one of our professionals to further assess the issue and repair it for you.
Irrigation Leak
One pesky leak that can be really frustrating to try to locate is an irrigation leak. Having an irrigation system can be a great way to keep your lawn and gardens looking great throughout the spring and summer seasons. However, just like water lines inside your home are susceptible to leaking, so are irrigation lines. The problem with irrigation lines leaking is that you may not notice it until you have a very high water bill.
If you can’t find a water leak inside of your home that explains your high water bill, you may want to take a look at your yard. Understand where your irrigation system runs and check for any spots that are mushy or overly green. These can indicate that there’s too much water in that location because of a leak in your irrigation line. You’ll need one of our professionals to further assist you with repairing the leak due to its hidden location.
Leaky Water Heater
It’s very common for water heaters to be installed in the basement where they’re out of the way because they can be fairly big and unsightly to look at. Unfortunately, when it’s out of sight, it can also be out of your mind when it comes to checking for leaks. When you see that high water bill, take a look at your water heater to see if there is pooling water around its base.
The leak could be coming from underneath the tank because the tank is rotted out, or it could be from one of the fittings that are attached to the tank. If it’s coming from a fitting, you may want to try to retighten it to see if that solves the issue. If the leak is coming from underneath the tank, then you’re going to need a replacement.
Malfunctioning Water Softener System
Investing in a water softener can be a great way to help remove the excess mineral sediment from your water and extend the overall longevity of your plumbing system’s components. However, it can also be a source of an unknown leak, causing your water bills to rise. This can happen whenever the washing process is initiated to remove the excess minerals from the resin beads.
Instead of shutting off after the beads have been thoroughly washed, the valve gets stuck open, and it just continues to run fresh water directly into your sewer line. This can result in a very high water bill and needs to have prompt repair service. You’ll need one of our professionals to repair the internal component of the water softener system to fix the malfunction and water waste.
A Tip on Detecting Water Leakage
If you notice that your water bill seems to be slightly higher than what you’re used to, and you can’t think of anything that contributed to that, it’s likely that you do leak somewhere in your home. One great way to verify that there’s a water leak is to take a look at your water meter. Make sure that you shut off all the fixtures in your home so that nothing is demanding water. Watch your meter to see if its usage rises. If it does, then it verifies you do have a leak somewhere that’s causing your meter to bring more water into your home.
Get Professional Leak Detection Service
If you notice that your water bills are higher than normal and you cannot locate the source of the leak, then it’s best to rely on one of our professionals for assistance. We will use specialized leak detection tools to monitor water pressures and help determine where the leak is located in your plumbing system. It’s very important that we do the service as soon as possible so that we can stop the leak before it creates extensive damage to your home and belongings.
Reliable Plumbing Repair Service
Pioneer Valley Environmental offers reliable plumbing repair service for the Ware, MA area. We can also help with all your plumbing installation, maintenance, and emergency plumbing needs. Simply call our office staff today to book your next service appointment with one of our highly knowledgeable plumbing professionals.
