Plumbing Leaks can be a headache to get fixed and can also be very expensive. There are certain steps you can take to either prevent leaks or repair the leaks on your own. Here are seven tips that you need to know about plumbing leaks and how to prevent leak problems from occurring.

Wrap Your Pipes in Heat

When the pipe is outside of the building, and temperatures turn cold, the water won’t freeze as long as it is moving. But if the water isn’t being used there is a good chance the pipes will freeze. Therefore, wrap the pipes in insulation and keep the faucet lines open to prevent freezing. Frozen pipes can lead to more problems and damage other than a leak leaving you frustrated and spending, even more, money.

Pay Attention

You don’t need to be a plumbing genius to know when something is wrong with the pipes in your home. Just do routine checks to see if there’s any drips or rust. Without routine checks, you could go weeks without knowing there is a problem until it is too late and suddenly there are puddles or even flooding leading to thousands of dollars in damage.

Watch Your Radiator

Most people don’t even think twice about paying attention to the pitch of the radiator. Make sure that it is always pitched back towards the steam that way the water can drain back into the boiler once it condenses, preventing any leaks.

Water Heaters Don’t Last Forever

Over time, the lining of your water heater will wear away and can lead to water leakage. If you’re paying attention, you’ll be able to catch it before there is any real damage since it normally starts with water leaking from the base. If this happens, call the manufacturer and give them the model number to see if it is still under warranty. Either under warranty or not, the manufacturer should be able to send you a new one.

Faucets Don’t Last Forever Either

Because faucets are mechanical, they are eventually going to leak. This happens because of corrosion, damage, or simply because it is old. It is possible to get it fixed, but most of the time it will be cheaper just to install a new one.

Trace the Leak to its Source

So you notice there is water everywhere, but none of the pipes within view are leaking. What now? Check behind the wall, most of the time it is those pipes behind the wall that connects to the pipelines that are leaking. You may be able to simply fix it by tightening it up with a wrench or your hand.

Replace Your Gasket Before You Blow It

Defective washers or a defective seat within the spout body tend to be the culprit of a leaky shower faucet. If you have isolation valves and can separate the water from that area, it should be a relatively easy fix. Just disassemble the spout once the water is isolated, install a new washer, and then test it out.

If any of the above tips are not resolving your leak problems, then it will be in your best interest to call a Babylon plumber and have a professional fix the issue.