A leaking pipe in your home can lead to serious and costly issues. Some homeowners might be tempted to repair leaking pipes on their own instead of hiring a licensed plumber. While a do-it-yourself job might seem cheaper in the beginning, it can often lead to a more costly repair down the road. When you think about the overall cost of a leaking pipe, it’s easy to see why hiring a professional licensed plumber right away is the best option to protect your home and your wallet.
Reduce the Water Bill
A water leak can be a very costly issue. Think about this — if you have a leaking pipe that drips at a rate of one drip per second, that will waste 259 gallons of water per month. That can be expensive, depending on the rate of water in your area. Many leaking pipes leak at a faster rate than only one drip per second, so you can imagine how that would add up over a month’s time.
If a leaking pipe is left alone, the rate of the drip can increase significantly over time. This means that you will be shelling out more money than you need to on water until you get the leaking pipe fixed. If the leak in the pipe gets too bad because you waited too long, you might learn that you need to have a more costly repair or replacement done to get the plumbing fixed.
Improve Water Pressure
A leaking pipe that has a very slow dripping leak isn’t likely going to make much of a difference in your home’s water pressure. But if the leak is left alone and allowed to worsen, the effect on your water pressure will become apparent. In fact, low water pressure is one sign that something is amiss with the plumbing.
If you are waiting a long time for the sink, tub, toilet tank, washing machine, or dishwasher to fill up, you might need to have your home’s plumbing fixed. Of course, issues with the water supply can also cause low pressure, but that is a temporary issue. The low water pressure issues you need to be concerned with are those that last longer than a few hours or a day at most, especially if you haven’t received a notice that there is a water delivery system issue.
Protect Your Home
A leaking pipe can damage your home. In fact, water damage is a major cause for concern. In some cases, your first sign that your home has a leaking pipe might be when you notice water spots on a wall. In that case, the damage has already begun and prompt action is crucial to get the problem corrected and the damage contained.
In the Texas heat, a leaking pipe can often mean mildew or mold growing behind a wall. If this occurs, you could end up replacing the wall. In some instances, even a small bit of drywall that has to be replaced can cost upwards of $400. You also have to add in the cost of new paint or wall treatments to make the area look the same as the rest of the room.
On top of the cost of fixing the leaking pipe and the wall repair, you might also have to factor in floor replacement. This can be a very costly repair if you have hardwood floors or if you have to replace the subfloor because of water damage.
Insurance and Warranty Concerns
If you have homeowner’s insurance or if your home is under warranty, you will need to hire a professional licensed plumber to handle any plumbing work, including fixing leaking pipes. If something happens to your home and you need to make a claim under the insurance or the warranty, there is a chance that your claim will be denied if a DIY plumbing project was even partially to blame.
One factor to consider when you are replacing leaking pipes is code compliance. Making a mistake or doing something incorrectly during a DIY plumbing project can mean that the plumbing in your home isn’t up to code. That is cause for fines and other consequences. In fact, plumbing that doesn’t meet local plumbing codes can automatically disqualify you from insurance and warranty claims.
Save Time and Money
Finally, hiring a licensed plumber can help you to save time and money. You won’t have to try to track the leaking pipe on your own. Instead, the plumber can use his or her training and tools to find the source of the leak. When the leak is found, they can get the problem corrected without hassle.
If you are trying to do things on your own, you might have to purchase special equipment and tools. You might end up taking much longer than a professional plumber would take to get the job done. Call Southern Plumbing today; we’ll fix your leaking pipes!
Sources:
https://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/when-to-hire-a-plumber.html
https://www.angieslist.com/articles/signs-hidden-water-leak-your-bathroom.htm
https://www.wndu.com/news/specialreports/headlines/Angies-List-Water-leaks-227426741.html
