What you need to know about plumbing

All homeowners appreciate plumbing systems that function efficiently, and this is because it makes life a breeze as far as dispensing and draining water is concerned. However, no plumbing system is immune to plumbing problems such as leaks, and you need to pay close attention to your system to ensure that it works great all year round.

Learning to prevent plumbing leaks is important. Leaks are quite damaging—especially when they go unnoticed and are not arrested in good time. The possibility of flooding is real. It could damage your structure and even bring about health complications.

Major Causes of Plumbing Leaks

To prevent plumbing leaks, you need to know what causes them. Below are the major causes of such leaks.

• Sedimentation and rusting
• Condensation
• Roots in pipes
• Deteriorated pipes
• Clogs

Drainage clogs are the major culprits when it comes to plumbing leaks; these could be as a result of hair, toilet paper, food, grease, toys and more. When your pipes are clogged, drainage of water is slow that could lead to leaking, or even worse, serious overflowing from bursts. Eventually, wearing out the pipes could lead to rusting. Roots from surrounding trees could also burst your pipes and lead to clogs and leaks.

Methods of detecting leaks

When you want to detect leaks in the plumbing systems, it is easy to check for them in pipes. Most leaks are noticeable as a white circle due to the salt collection within the water that crystallizes around the hole or crack on the leaking pipe. Also, you can look over the meter after closing all of the inlet supply and taps and see whether the water meter is still moving. If it is, then you know that there is a leak somewhere.

Leak diagnosis

In case, you need to check the plumbing system for leaks; you can do the silent leak test quickly in the toilet. Take a colored dye (blue/red) and ensure that the water in the toilet and tank are clear. Put the dye in the tank and wait for some time. Within an hour, if there is a leak, the water will turn red or blue in the toilet bowl.

Large leaks can be due to a burst pipe, and it can even lead to a sewer back-up that can flood the basement. As part of the regular home maintenance program, periodic checks for the plumbing system are important. In case you have discovered a leak, it is best not to delay calling in a plumber and get it repaired.  If you’re in the Alabama area, then check out this emergency plumber birmingham al for high quality services.

Preventing Plumbing Leaks

Preventing leaks from occurring or destroying your home is not a complicated undertaking. You need to:

• Monitor your water use
• Have a regular maintenance service
• Prevent frozen pipes
• Maintain your plumbing system

It pays to maintain your plumbing system. You can maintain your plumbing system by replacing old pipes, faucets, washers, and seals when the need arises. You can also easily prevent leaks by monitoring your water consumption.

Know how much water you use monthly; also keep an eye out for unaccounted increased consumption. Insulating your plumbing system is important as it prevents the pipes from freezing, which is a major cause of leaks.

Hiring professional plumbing services

When you come across any plumbing issue, you land up taking hasty decisions of hiring a plumbing service provider. However, later on, you realize that the decision that you took was wrong. Due to the wrong decision, you may feel that all service providers are the same. However, it is certainly not fair to see all of them under the same light. So what must be done to find a reliable one? Well, here are some tips as to what steps you can take.

Licensed service provider

It is important that the plumbing service provider that you are hiring is licensed. Having a license is the first sign that indicates that the agency is authentic. A licensed provider also makes sure that he is ready to take up the responsibility if a problem arises after their service. By hiring a licensed agency, you can also have numerous other benefits. When there is any fault in your plumbing fixtures after the new repairing, then you also have an option to file a legitimate complaint against the agency.

Check the range of service they provide

Before hiring a plumbing service provider, it is important to check all the services they provide. This is important because it may also happen that the problem you are facing might not be in their list of services. In this case, if they come for a visit, it will waste not only your time but also money.

More serious cases which require the expertise of a plumber, and when you do not feel confident to handle the problem yourself, call professional plumbing services. This includes pipeline explosions, leaks near electricity spots, replacing large tools such as a sanitary toilet, shower, bath, or locating hidden leaks in the walls or floor.