Your house is your safe space. We make our house heaven for ourselves and our loved ones. Sometimes, your home can suffer from damage. This is quite a traumatic scenario because simple damage can disturb your lifestyle and quality of life. Water leaks are the most common type of damage to your house. Even if you take good care of your house, there is a chance of getting damaged. Home leakage can be quite costly, and if you don't immediately repair the damage, it can leave quite an impact on your property.
Let's discuss some of the most common leakages around the house and simple steps to fix this damage:
Burst Pipes
From your sewage system to laundry, pipes around your house can burst and block your overall water supply. Pipe bursting is a common issue among houses that can completely stop the water supply to your homes. Since most of the pipes are underground, it is unlikely that they burst due to scorching heat. Icy cold weather can cause your pipes to freeze and then burst. A pipe burst will end up damaging everything from your walls to the floor and even your septic tanks. You may need septic tank services in case the pipe is contaminating/damaging the walls of your septic tank.
How To Fix Burst Pipes?
It completely depends upon how much the pipe is damaged.
- Some people fix minor leakages and small damage by concealing the pipe using cement, tape, or other forms of blockers. This technique is fairly useful to restrict minor leakage. However, in case of a big burst or a completely crushed pipe, it's useless.
- If your pipe is crushed completely or broken beyond repair, getting professional help is more useful. Instead of letting the water leak before help arrives, find an alternative supply and block the main valve until the pipe is fixed.
Toilet Supply Leaks
Water supply to your toilets can also leak. Apparently, this is the most dangerous type of leak as it can seriously damage the entire building. Many reasons can contribute to toilet leaks. For instance, if you throw different things in the toilet, they can cause it to block and eventually overflow. Other than this, old accessories, water waste, and environmental damage can all contribute to a problem with your toilet's plumbing/piping.
How to Fix Toilet Supply Leaks?
Repairing a toilet supply leak can be a simple task, but you might need professional help if the problem continues.
- For leaky fittings and attachments, sometimes just tightening them can easily eliminate the leakage. However, if the accessories are rusty, you may need to replace them with newer ones. They are easily available at the hardware store, simple to add, and really affordable.
- If there is a major spill infecting the entire house, contact your plumbing. Contacting a professional plumbing service may cost you more than someone inexperienced, but you must hire someone reliable. If your house is insured, talk to your insurance company about the damage and costs associated with it.
Humidifier Leakage
Most of the houses - especially those in dry parts of the country have humidifiers to manage the indoor atmosphere. Many people prefer a whole house humidifier which allows you to maintain a central humidity control system throughout the house. However, humidifiers can leak due to a number of different reasons. For example, an overflowing drain that leads to your sewage system or leakage if you fail to shut down the valves properly. The key here is to check the equipment regularly to ensure that there are no complications with your humidifier.
How to Fix a Leaking Humidifier?
If your humidifier is leaking, chances are that it has gone through some intentional damage or improper maintenance.
- Check if the drain line is clogged or not. Usually, excess water can result in a clogged drain line. Remove excess water from your humidifier every day. If the issue still persists, contact your service provider for information and ask them to send a professional who would solve the issue for you. Make sure to contact the company maintenance and not some local person.
- You can inspect for holes in the drain line which might be causing water leakage. In such a scenario, ask your service provider to come in and solve the issue. If your humidifier is in warranty, avail of it.
Kitchen Appliances
Every house has a washing machine and a dishwasher. These appliances were designed to save time and help people around the house. However, if you are not using them properly, it could be a cause of concern. Improper fitting or overburdening your gadgets with water can result in leakage. Unlike other leaks, this one has the potential to electrocute someone or set the house on fire. It is always recommended that you get your washing machine installed by a licensed company or hire someone from the company maintenance. Electrical appliances can also become faulty if they have outlived their useful life. So, don't shy away from replacing them before something bad happens.
How to Fix a Leaking Kitchen Appliance?
Kitchen appliances can suffer from more technical damage.
- Instead of taking any short fix from the internet or DIY guide, we highly recommend that you call someone from the company to take a look at the damage. If you have a septic tank, take a look at it and consider calling your septic tank pumping and inspection services which would see if there is any potential damage. As your appliances are linked to the tank, it gets hard to manage this kind of life-threatening damage.
How Much Does Water Damage Cost An Average American?
Being the second most filed claim in the US, we can say that water damage surely affects the lifestyle of an average American. The usual claim is filed for almost ten grand to an insurance company. This can be much larger depending upon the intensity of the damage.
Side-Effects of Water Leak on Energy and Finances
Whether you have a slowly dripping humidifier or a leaky pipe with intense pressure, a water leak around the house can actually increase your utility bills. Moreover, leaking water can result in mold, termites, and other infections around the house. You might not notice this at first, but serious infections can result in damage to your furniture, walls, and even your health. Many water leaks go undetected for a very long time, and this is why it is highly recommended that you call water inspection services for an annual visit.
Damage to Irreplaceable Items
A water leak can result in you going back a few thousand bucks at least but let's just forget that. Consider your faulty pipes damaging some of your most treasured belongings - pictures, decorative items, memorabilia, for instance. While you may be able to cover and replace your damaged items with relatively newer and more modern ones, some things are irreplaceable, and they cannot be brought back. So, before you suffer from serious damage, consider calling someone to inspect your water pipes and leakages annually.
Conclusion
Water leakage is a common problem in many households. You can suffer from some serious damage depending upon improper maintenance, overusing an appliance, or simply the old age of your pipes. Weather conditions can also impact, but with proper maintenance and regular care, you can reduce your leakage issues around the house to the minimum.
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