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The Damaging Leak You Don’t Know You Have

Are you one of the millions of homes across the country contributing to the almost 1 trillion gallons of water wasted every year through something as small as a household plumbing leak? If you haven’t checked, you can’t know for certain.

This year, The EPA’s Fix a Leak Week runs from March 18 through March 24. Why not use this opportunity to have a professional plumbing inspection to spot a plumbing leak so you can act on it before you waste another drop? With a professional technician on the job, you’ll have peace of mind from knowing that some problems will be spotted and repaired before they have the chance to happen and cause any damage at all. You’ll save yourself a fortune at the same time!

Why Hunt For a Plumbing Leak?

Water waste is a huge problem across the country. If you’re not checking for a plumbing leak, you may be a part of the problem without even knowing it. Not only is this bad for the environment, but it comes with a cost. That cost may be higher than you think! Our trained techs can preform a whole house inspection of all fixtures, water lines and hot water heaters. This check is an important pro-active measure to ensure that there aren’t any silent leaks from toilets or any other fixtures. Even a gas leak from a gas water heater can be detected.

Money Down The Drain

Chances are that you’re wasting more water than you realize. One in ten homes with a water leak will waste 90 gallons or more every day. Even if your home is leaking half that much, it’s still 45 gallons of preventable expense and water waste.

Home Damage

Keep in mind that lost water doesn’t just evaporate into the air. A plumbing leak can become even more expensive if the water causes damage. One drip at a time, water can lead to rust, rot, mold and a spectrum of other expensive but preventable problems. A quick visit from our plumbing services expert could save you thousands of dollars in home repair costs.

Many Pests Love Moisture

Still not convinced? In that case, consider the fact that added moisture in your home makes it a very appealing place for many unwanted guests. Pests are frequently drawn to homes with plumbing leaks. Keeping those leaks in check can help reduce your risk of:

  • Mice
  • Rats
  • Cockroaches
  • Carpenter ants
  • Book lice
  • Silverfish
  • Termites
  • Camel crickets
  • Many other creepy-crawlies

How to Spot a Household Plumbing Leak

There are a few common places to spot a troublemaking household plumbing leak. You can start with the following, though your professional plumbing technician will conduct a much more thorough check beyond these steps.

Your Water Meter

Are you suddenly using considerably more water per month without being able to explain it? Does it look like you filled a swimming pool for the summer, but it’s only March, and you don’t have a pool? That’s a fast indicator that you may have a leak on your hands.

To know with greater confidence, take a reading from your water meter before a period of at least 2 hours when no water will be used, then read it again. If there is any change, the odds are that you’ve got a leak somewhere.

Puddles

Look for puddles behind or around your toilet or under any of the pipes under your sinks, on countertops near faucets, showers, tubs, the water heater, water softener or anywhere else you have a plumbing connection. To check for puddles in your sink, simply place a bowl under the taps overnight. That way, if any of your faucets drip, it will show up in the bowl instead of going down the drain.

Silent Leaks

Your McLoughlin professional plumber will be able to go above and beyond the steps available to you. While those basics can help you spot the obvious problems, many issues are what is known as “silent leaks”. This means that without a trained eye and the right equipment, you’re very unlikely to know they’re there until they have become a problem – possibly a large one.

What to do When You Spot a Plumbing Leak

Spotting a plumbing leak is never good news, but it’s far better to find it than not to! Call McLoughlin Plumbing, Heating and Cooling’s 24 hour service at 610-624-8037 to arrange for our expert plumbing technician to fix the problem correctly the first time. While you are at it, have them conduct a plumbing inspection and fix any silent leaks that may be occurring before they become a damaging problem.