With the Christmas dinner a few days away, we are sure you’re busy prepping the house and buying décor items. In the middle of all the festivities and the hustle, don’t ignore one of the most important aspects of home maintenance—the plumbing!
In this post, we are going to talk about leaks. Let’s help you identify them so you can have them repaired in a timely manner:
Changes in your water bills
Since it’s the holiday season, your water bills may hike a bit because of the number of guests that will be coming in. However, if you haven’t watered your lawn frequently or didn’t have too many guests over, look for a leak!
Let’s talk about toilet leaks.
Toilets use the most water in households, accounting for up to 27% of the total household water supply. If your toilet keeps on flushing all night even though no one’s using it, the amount of water wastage can be massive. A consistently running toilet seat can waste as much as 200 gallons a day! From the fiscal year 2020 onwards, the cost of 1000 gallons of water in Texas will be set at $3.04. If your toilet seat is wasting 200 gallons of water every day, you might end up in a financial crunch by the end of the month.
Unlike underground leaks, a toilet leak isn’t tricky and can be easily detected. All you need to do is pay attention and have an emergency plumbing service on your speed dial.
Check the water heater
Ideally, water heaters should last for as long as ten or fifteen years. However, if you haven’t gotten yours maintained or repaired in a long time, it might start leaking. Get in touch with a plumbing expert to have water leaks fixed.
Here are some signs that your water heater is leaking:
- Look at the bottom of the heater where the drain valve lies. If the drain valve is leaking, you might see a puddle of water right underneath it. To solve the issue, you can either get the garden hose capped or get the entire drain valve replaced. Both the options are fairly inexpensive.
- Empty the water heater and look at the bottom of the tank. Often, sediment buildup on the bottom can make the tank lining corrode. Coupled with the wear and tear caused by excessive heating, this can really put stress on the tank and make it crack.
- A leak can take place near the top of the water heater as well. This is because water enters the tank at very high pressure. As a result, the pipes often burst open and get cracked.
Check the water meter
If you have inspected all the fixtures in the house and are still not sure what’s causing the problem, the water meter is your best bet. The water meter is mostly connected to the main water line and is located near the entrance of the house. Shut off the main water supply of the house and check the meter. If the meter continues to run, even when the main line isn’t flowing, there’s a leak.
Once you’re sure that there is a leak, call up a plumbing service near you and get them to locate it. If you’re in search of a reliable leak repair company in Fort Worth, try Pro Serve Plumbing! We offer emergency plumbing services throughout the day. Get in touch with us now.
