Does your monthly water bill seem a little higher than normal, yet nothing else has really changed in terms of your routine water usage? While there are a number of things that can impact your water bills, it’s important to acknowledge the potential for water leaks and the many different areas around the house where they may occur. After all, your home’s plumbing system is composed of quite a few pieces and as such, there are numerous places where you may be wasting water! Over the course of this week’s blog post, we’ll be taking an inside look at a few of the more common places where these leaks occur, as well as breaking down the difference between issues that can be repaired fairly quickly and those requiring more time and effort! In other words, while some leaks can easily be turned into a DIY job, there are also leaks that you’ll want an experienced plumber to help out with.
Before we get into more detail about these various water leak locations, we would first like to say hello to any first-time visitors of our plumbing blog. Welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing! Since opening our business, we have always emphasized providing reliable and long-lasting plumbing services. Whether that be by installing a faucet, replacing a sewer line or anything else, we’ve consistently strived to do just that. Having said that, if you live in or near the Kansas City area and are needing some help on a plumbing project, we would be happy to help! Feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE to request a free estimate. Now, on to this week’s blog post, as we look to evaluate the different areas where you may be wasting water!
Service Line
As you can likely guess, water leaks can vary significantly in terms of the actual severity and damage they can cause. Some of the time, the leaks can be repaired quickly, while others will take much longer. Likewise, some of these leaks may not be wasting very much water and other leaks could be wasting enough that it’s easily noticeable on your water bill. Nonetheless, it’s always smart to avoid procrastinating on getting them fixed. One of the locations where a leak could be more serious is related to the water service line that delivers water from the city into your home. Take a peek at the thumbnail on this blog post for an example of a water service line repair.
Long story short, if you suspect that you may have an issue with your water service line, then it’s always going to be a good idea to have an experienced plumber get eyes on this situation. This will not only ensure the repair is completed in an efficient manner, but also make sure it gets fixed properly the first time. As is the case with several other larger plumbing projects, the last thing you want is an inadequate repair where the same issue pops up a few months down the road.
Toilet
While a water service line isn’t always the easiest of items to take a look at (without excavation), a toilet is the complete opposite. It is a fixture that you’ll be using on a consistent basis and will be able to tell when something isn’t right. A perfect example of this would be a running toilet and that also happens to be one way in which you may be wasting water! While knowing that there’s a break in your service line will instantly grab your attention, I’m going to guess a running toilet might not seem as urgent or critical! However, when you understand how easy the solution is, you might think otherwise. Generally, a running toilet is the result of fairly minor problems. A common example of this would be a faulty flapper. The flapper serves a rather straightforward purpose, as it is responsible for allowing/stopping the water as it goes from the tank into the bowl.
Keep in mind though that a toilet which leaks from the tank into the bowl is just one way in which it could be wasting water. While several of those issues can be resolved by replacing individual components inside the toilet’s tank, some problems may require a new toilet to be installed. This could be the case if you notice any visual cracks on the toilet tank or bowl. All in all, there are more ways than one for how a toilet could waste water. Having an understanding of the inner-workings of a toilet and being able to tell when something isn’t right will be the easiest way to get these problems fixed!
Faucet
In the previous section, we mentioned a plumbing problem that wastes water but also is easy to put on the backburner (running toilet). However, there are plenty of other issues capable of fitting that exact same criteria. That leads us into the next fixture we’ll discuss today and that happens to be your faucets. Have you ever dealt with a faucet that seems to constantly drip? While it seemingly isn’t wasting a ton of water, it’s not hard to see how this could accumulate over time. As was the case with the running toilet, your best strategy for getting it fixed will revolve around figuring out where the problem resides and making the proper repairs. A couple of potential causes here would be issues with the cartridge or O-Ring.
As a side note, if you don’t feel comfortable repairing the faucet on your own, it is typically best to have an experienced plumber perform the repairs. In addition, if your existing faucet is already a little dated, it wouldn’t hurt to compare the cost differences between repairing the current faucet and having a new one installed altogether. With so many different styles available nowadays, you’ll have no trouble finding something that fits the aesthetic of your bathroom or kitchen too!
Other Leaks
To sum it up, there are numerous ways in which you can possibly experience water leaks in your home’s plumbing system. We highlighted a few of these in this week’s blog post, but this certainly isn’t a comprehensive list. Two general rules to follow would be to avoid procrastinating on the repairs and look out for noticeable signs of water damage. Whether it be visual water stains on the ceilings or walls, odd smells throughout the house, random puddles of water or anything else, the problem isn’t going to resolve itself! As such, it’s important to limit the damage and prevent the issue from getting worse over time.
Reliable Plumbing Services in Kansas City
For a homeowner, it’s never fun to deal with plumbing problems! No matter if it’s something small like needing to replace a faucet or a large project like a sewer line repair, we understand this! Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, we want to make the entire repair process as stress-free as possible. Our team of experienced plumbers are here to help with all of your plumbing problems. As evidenced by this blog post, one potential plumbing problem that homeowners may be faced with are water leaks. While these can vary significantly in terms of urgency, it’s never wise to let a plumbing issue sit unfixed.
Need help with a plumbing issue? Give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE and a member of our team will be in touch!