When you have a burst pipe gushing water out into your home, you know for sure you need to deal with it immediately. An emergency plumber is absolutely required! But what about a tiny leak? Can you safely wipe up the drips and ignore it, or at least postpone repairs for a while? No! While a tiny leak is not an emergency which requires a plumber right this minute, it is still a big deal, and does require prompt repair. Here’s why.
Drips Add Up
Imagine that your problem area—perhaps a place where water lines are joined to a fixture underneath a sink—is only dripping once per minute. That’s an extremely slow leak. However, there are 60 minutes in an hour, and 24 hours in a day. That means that every day, 1,440 drops of water will fall into your cabinet. According to the USGS, United States Geologic Survey, there are 15,140 drops in a gallon. Even at that extremely slow rate of leakage, you’ll end up with a gallon of water soaking into your cabinet, and then into your subfloor, in just over ten days. And if that leak speeds up? Ten drips per minute will still look pretty slow, only one drip every six seconds, but it’ll add up to a gallon in just one day.
The Cost of Water
A single gallon of water won’t add much to your monthly water bill. A gallon every day, however, definitely would. And there are costs beyond the financial. Water waste contributes to the struggle people face during droughts and water shortages. A single gallon could keep two people well-hydrated all day. It’s a precious resource that shouldn’t go to waste.
The Impact on Your Home
Water causes drywall, now no longer dry, to disintegrate. Paint and wallpaper bubble and peel. Wood cabinetry swells and distorts. Mold grows in the plentiful moisture, staining surfaces and filling the air with spores that are unhealthy to breathe, especially if you have allergies or asthma. But here’s the biggest risk: serious structural damage. Wood floors and subfloors that are saturated with water and contaminated with mold are dangerously weakened. Many leaks occur in bathrooms, for obvious reasons. If you’ve ever had occasion to bring an old toilet, sink, or tub to the dump, you’ve noticed how heavy these things can be. Weakening the floor that supports them is a hazard to anyone and anything that might be underneath, because in extreme cases, bathroom floors can collapse completely and crash through the ceiling below.
Know the Signs
Increased usage showing up on your water bill, increased humidity in your home, water marks or stains, mildew smells or visible mold, or decreased water pressure are all signs that can occur when either a cold or hot water line is leaking. Warm spots on walls or floors, odd behavior from your water heater, or an increase in usage from whichever utility powers your water heater can all indicate a hot water leak specifically. If you suspect a leak, get prompt professional plumbing repair in Levelland, TX.
JD’s Prompt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning serves the Lubbock area. Contact us for all your plumbing needs.