Discovering an abnormally high water bill may be overlooked the first month, but as the second or even the third month bill arrives slightly higher than the last, it gets homeowners wondering where the problem is. It doesn’t take much deduction to come to the conclusion that the problem is due to a water leak. But more often than not, unless a leak is plainly obvious, people may not know where to start looking. With that in mind, we at Orsack Plumbing would like to take the opportunity to list a few common places for you to search for the water leak that is costing you every month.
Possible Cause of Water Leaks in a Household
Faucets: Faucets are a common source of leaks. In fact a single faucet that only drips once per second waste approximately 3,000 gallons of water per year. Evaluate each faucet, handles and plumbing found under the sink in every bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room (for those with a utility sink). More often than not, the faucets leak because of worn out washers and gaskets, if that is the case a faucet repair kit found at your home improvement store can make it a quick fix and you can see a difference in your monthly bill.
Outdoor Spigots: Many homeowners will neglect checking their outdoor plumbing when they are checking for leaks within their home’s plumbing system. Especially common during spring, leaks often develop over the winter, the spigots on the exterior of your home should also be checked when performing the search for potential leaks. Turn the water on and place your hand over the spigot. If a leak is present, you can easily prevent water from escaping the faucet. The pipe will likely need to replaced.
Shower Heads: It is a normal occurrence for the shower head to drip water for a few seconds after it has been used, but if the dripping doesn’t stop soon, it indicates a leak that needs to be repaired. You can start by taking the shower head and make sure the connection is tight by turning it until it’s secure. If that doesn’t resolve the leak, to help secure a tight fit if there is any space between the shower head and pipe, apply some pipe tape. The “O” ring should also be inspected and replaced if necessary.
Toilets: Within the tank there is a system of moving parts that work together whenever the toilet is flushed, and over time, these parts can experience wear and tear. Such parts include the flapper, fill valve, flush valve, float, and chain and if one of these components breaks or falls out of alignment water can leak and continue to run. If this is the case, you can usually hear if the water is constantly running, but if you can’t hear anything, double check with the food coloring test. Wait 15 minutes simply put a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank check to see if the newly colored water is now in the bowl, if the colored water travels from the tank to the bowl without delay, toilet repair is needed.
Professional Plumbing Services in Spring, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Montgomery & Conroe Texas
If you have difficulty repairing any of these problem leaks, contact Orsack Plumbing and let our specialists do the rest.
