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There’s no living person on this planet who’s never experienced some leaks, whether at home or in the office. In the UK, it’s even more likely for a homeowner to appear in such an unpleasant situation.
What you should do when this happens to you is not to panic, but immediately to turn off the water supply and to call the local plumbing company to leave the experts do their job and fix the issue.
On the other side, prevention has always been the better cure, hasn’t it? You might want to increase your home’s safety when figuring out what crucial damage leaking plumbing can cause to your property. Meet them below.
What Are The Most Common Causes Of Sudden Water Leaks
First of all, to motivate you to take some precautionary measures, it would be kind of us to point you out the riskiest zones in your house where the leak can start.
When you know where the problem might occur, you will never let it happen. Check out what usually causes a sudden water leak in a property.
1. Broken Pipes
Nothing else, just the broken pipe, can literally flood your house in a couple of hours. Unfortunately, many homeowners underestimate this risk.
While it’s still a small crack or an opened edge, the damaged pipe isn’t that dangerous. But there are leaks you can track them easily. Once you notice any signs of a broken pipe, do what you must to repair or replace it with a new one.
2. Improperly Installed Water Lines
Of course, it’s always better to use professional plumbing services. And this doesn’t fit only the case when there’s a problem.
Even if you set up some new device, a pipe or a whole new plumbing system, it’s much better to rely on your local licensed plumbing company. In most cases, the leaks and everything they can lead to are caused by an unprofessional installation job.
For instance, a DIY set of water lines is one of the top common reasons for leaks in a home place.
3. Poor Drainage Systems
The condition of the drainage system – especially in the UK, where it’s raining dogs and cats literally every day – can hide a severe risk of leaks, too.
If this system is of low quality, expect serious problems soon. But why wait for them when you know now that they need some repair or replacement?
Signs of Leaking Plumbing in Your Home
Not just neglected attitude, but some absent-mildness can hide the real problem of your plumbing system from your eyesight.
If you don’t pay attention to your home inventory that much, there’s a huge possibility of missing a giant issue in your property’s water supply.
In this case, we strongly recommend you regularly check for problems. During your monitoring routine, please look for common signs of leaking plumbing.
1. Water Stains
Water doesn’t vapour. The steam does. So when there’s too much humidity somewhere in your house, it will dry, but not fully.
It will leave some traces – water spots. Usually, in case of a leak, the walls, the ceiling and sometimes the floor gets full of water spots.
2. Mould and Mildew
Eventually, these spots and the progress of the problem will lead to mould and mildew. Thankfully, these signs are more visible and cannot be missed.
Since mould can be so dangerous for people’s health, it’s a good thing that people usually take specific actions to remove it. It’s best to leave that to professionals, who are not only experienced at that task but will also bring specialised equipment to deal with it.
That’s much more effective and safer than tackling the situation yourself. Many homeowners try to kill the mildew without considering why it’s there. It’s like treating just symptoms, but not the cause of the disease.
Also, exposing your skin and lungs to toxic chemicals isn’t advisable either.
Our hot recommendation is never to neglect the source of the mould and always to contact licensed experts to resolve this type of issue. And most often, the reason it exists in the first place is a leak in the plumbing system.
3. Irregular Utility Bills
This one will make you pay more attention to your plumbing system at home.
No one likes paying more for anything. Although everything has become quite expensive these days, don’t underestimate the sudden growth of your water utility bill.
In most cases, it’s not due to economic conditions but to a leak. Save money from these extra expenses by repairing the broken pipe or anything else damaged.
4. Water spots in unusual places
The water will show you where it’s running. There will be different spots and stains in numerous areas.
Although usually, it’s the nearest wall and ceiling surface affected by the plumbing problem, the high humidity level can show up even in unusual and distant places.
5. Damaged Electrical Wiring
This is not just a sign but a very dangerous thing to see at home. When there’s a leak around a socket, cables or anything that uses electricity, you should immediately do the needed repairs. Note that in the beginning, the electrical wiring might not even be wet or covered with some stains. The cables might not only be damaged. Replace them, too.
6. Paint and Wallpaper Peeling
In houses with high humidity levels, decors such as paintings and wallpapers don’t survive long. You will see them peeling in a while.
Later, if you don’t try to fix the problem, you can even notice the wall paint cracking. Track the leak by the wall that’s damaged. The leaking issue is supposed to be around.
When you find it, analyze the problem and fix it in the most practical and effective way to avoid further damage.
Conclusion
The sooner you deal with the leaking plumbing, the higher the chance of getting rid only with this issue.
When you postpone the repair, you put your property at risk of all these 6 common damage types. Get your DIY suitcase with supplies and tools, or call the local plumber immediately. Save your property comfort, intactness and value in the most reasonable possible way.