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Find And Fix Plumbing Leaks In Your House
There is no flat or house in our modern society which didn’t had some sort of water leakage. This is a quite common situation and it is nothing to be a big fuss, for it can easily be repaired and taken care of. All you need is a bit of patience, time and few resources. One thing can be applied here to the letter; it is always better to be safe than sorry. Follow these tips, and if you find some problems, you have tips on how to solve these too. So, shall we?
Prevention
While it may be always the best option not to have any malfunctions, sometimes bad things can’t be avoided. A sudden water burst, broken faucet, or something similar, is a matter of moment, and often can’t be prevented. Pipes and other appliances are prone to ravages of time, for they are used daily, and also have spending factor. Here you could change faucets and sealants on a regular basis, but in longer terms, it will cost you significant amount of money.
Alarm
One of the first indicators that something is wrong with your installations is unusually high water bill. If you notice that for the last month you got higher amount of money to pay, this is code red for you, and requires immediate attention. Leakage may be inside the house, and thus can cause severe damage to the walls and foundation itself, as well as costing you even more. If you wish to prevent this, you can install automated switch, which reacts to the change of pressure within the pipes, and can shut off main valve instantly. Maybe a bit higher amount of money must be invested, but in longer terms, you will benefit greatly, as well as being safe. Also, if you spot wet areas around your house, and it wasn’t raining recently, this is also an indicator for leaking problem. In addition, plants can help you, for higher amount of water can damage their roots, giving them weak and faded looks.
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Valves
Somewhat a weak spots in the network, if maintained regularly and properly, these can save you a lot of effort. Be sure that you know where the main valve is, and that it is in top-notch condition. Also, see that all the members of your family know where it is, for it may be that misfortune struck when you are out of home. Considering inspection, dry valves are sign that everything works great, while water around the lever is signal for potential trouble, and it is advised that such valve should be replaced. “Branching” is another great tip, for you can install separate valves for different parts of the house. This comes in handy if you have an issue in a bathroom, for example, and you don’t want to leave your kitchen without water supply.
Bathroom
Being the place with far most water installations (sink, toilet, water heater, bath tub or shower cabin), special attention must be turned to this part of the house. If you notice that your toilet is leaking water, which can be spotted by constant hissing sound, you can perform a little test. Put a few drops of any water diluted paint in the tank, and if after a while you notice that water in the toilet, and then you have an issue to solve. Rather easy, turning off water supply of the tank and taking out whole mechanism, and replacing the rubber part at the bottom should do the trick. If problem persists, it would be wise to call the plumber. Use extreme precaution when it comes to water heater, for combined water and electricity can have fatal outcome, and only if you are professional in this kind of work you may perform repairs on your own, otherwise, call the electrician. Bath tub and sink have a similar style of maintaining. Don’t over tight the faucets, for the rubber within gets thinner, and in this way drips are made.
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Outside
Providing you live in a house, you probably have some kind of garden hose in regular usage. Yet again, faucets need to be checked regularly, but also in addition, you need to protect all of the installation from freezing, a rather tiresome thing to happen, for it may easily be prevented. Be sure that you dry out the hose after the season, and store it in the garage, and it won’t freeze and burst. Faucet itself can be protected with several layers of old cloth, wrapped in nylon foil, as well as anti-freezing isolation and freeze-resistant faucets are in option. All of those don’t cost too much, but are rather money-saving in longer terms.
So, these are my recommendations on what you could do to prevent or minimize damage caused by water. Also, at any time, you can call the plumber, if you are less keen on doing business on your own.
Author bio: Damian Wolf is a writer and a passionate home improvement DIYer. When he’s not writing or spending time with family, Damian is improving skills as emergency plumber.
