What to Do About a Leaking Faucet
A dripping or leaking faucet can be a very irritating problem. But more importantly, it could be a sign that there are many more serious problems your faucet, pipes, or plumbing. The problem of a dripping faucet could stem from any number of different issues. leaking faucets may be caused by corroded pipes, defective gaskets, or mineral deposits, just to name a few.
If you ignore the problem of a dripping or leaking faucet, it will continue to get worse and turn into a much larger a more expensive plumbing project. If you catch the problem early enough, the repairs will be likely be very simple, and you may not even need to hire a professional for service. If you can’t solve the problem on your own, the Raleigh plumbers at 919-Plumber will be able to provide you with prompt, professional repairs.
How Important is it to Repair a Faucet Leak?
One of the most important reasons to repair a leaking faucet is that they can waste a tremendous amount of water. According the Environmental Protection Agency, plumbing leaks can waste 10,000 gallons of water per household each year. The most common residential plumbing leaks occur with:
- Toilet flappers
- Valves
- and Faucets
Fixing a faucet that drips can save you as much as 10% on your monthly water bills.
Because dripping or leaking faucets can waste such a significant amount of water, this problem has a huge impact on the environment when it’s left untreated. When you don’t take care of leaks in your Raleigh home, you’re wasting money as well as valuable resources.
So What’s Making Your Faucet Drip?
A few different things could be the reason that your faucet is dripping or leaking:
- Loose Parts
Your faucet is used every day, and multiple times a day, so it’s very common for some of its inner-workings to come loose over time. There are a number of smaller parts within your Raleigh home’s faucets, and when any of them start to become loose, it will cause leakage at the base of the faucets, or the faucet will drip when it’s in the “off” position. You may be able to tighten these parts of your faucet on your own, or you may need to have our plumbers replace the pieces.
- Worn Our Seals
Disc faucets have inlet and outlet seals, both of which are very important to the way the faucet function. With time and regular use, these seals will become worn out and fall victim to sediment build-up, which could be causing your faucet to leak or drip. Our plumbers recommend that you have the sediment cleaned regularly to keep your faucets functioning well. You may also need to have the seals replaced.
- Broken Plumbing
Although this is less common—and less likely—it is possible that your faucet is leaking because of a broken pipe, broken fitting, or another problem with your plumbing system. When pipes in your plumbing system, for instance, it can alter the water flow throughout your Raleigh home, which could cause a faucet to leak. If troubleshooting doesn’t reveal other common problems, our professionals will inspect your pipes for other problems.