As a homeowner, one of the most common plumbing issues you’ll face is a leaky faucet. This typically starts as a very slow drip and eventually develops into a steady stream. While it can be very easy to ignore a dripping faucet, doing so could have a big environmental impact.
Top Signs of a Leaky Faucet
When you think about a leaky faucet, you may think that identifying one is fairly simple by the sound and visible water that it produces. While some faucet leaks are easy to spot because they’re coming out of the faucet spout, others might be harder to identify. One key indicator that you have a hidden faucet leak is a buildup of minerals or rust on the faucet’s base. This is where the faucet meets the sink. It can be very easy to overlook this type of leak as you may just think water accumulated there from splashing while you were using the sink.
Another hidden area where you may develop a faucet leak is underneath your sink. Water can leak underneath your sink for two main reasons. These are a loose connection at the water supply line or a loose connection at the sink drain. Unfortunately, a hidden faucet leak that develops underneath your sink can be one of the most damaging as most homeowners don’t look underneath their sinks regularly.
EPA Leaky Faucet Facts
The Environmental Protection Agency, better known as the EPA for short, is proactively trying to inform homeowners about the environmental dangers associated with allowing leaks in their homes. To help solidify this information, they’ve released various facts regarding leaky faucets and how they can affect your home. One of the most notable facts is that fixing easily corrected household leaks could save you around 10% on your annual water bills.
The EPA currently estimates that around 10% of all U.S. households have leaks that account for 90 gallons of water or more per day. In fact, these household water leaks are estimated to waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually throughout the nation. To put this into perspective, 1 trillion gallons of water can provide enough water for more than 11 million homes for an entire year.
A leaky faucet dripping an estimated one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water per year. This is the equivalent of 180 showers. That’s a lot of wasted water that could be easily avoided with fairly inexpensive plumbing repairs.
The Massive Impact of One Leaky Faucet
When you think about the amount of water that a leaky faucet could waste each year, its potential effect is astounding. For freshwater to arrive at your home, it typically needs to travel through your local water supply facility. At this facility, energy is used to purify, pump, and effectively distribute that water to your home. By not even using that water, all the energy that went into making it usable for your home is all for nothing. Furthermore, this unnecessary water loss is responsible for further depleting the global water supply and contributing to the world shortage.
Other Impacts of a Leaky Faucet
Apart from the environmental impact that a leaky faucet can have, there are other ways that it can affect you. By far, higher water bills are the most obvious effect leaky faucets will have on your life. When a faucet is allowed to drip freely, all those drops will add up over time and take more money out of your wallet. Additionally, when a leak develops underneath your sink, that water can create the perfect environment for mold and mildew growth. Both of these are very hazardous to have in your home and can affect your respiratory health over time. Furthermore, all that water can drip into your cabinet or onto your floor depending on your specific setup. Water can create an extensive amount of damage to most materials like wood or MDF in just a short amount of time.
What Causes a Leaky Faucet?
Just like any other fixture in your home, your faucet is prone to malfunctioning from time to time. Whenever you notice a leak coming from your faucet, it’s important to identify the source of the problem and have it repaired promptly. This will help to lessen the impact that the leaky faucet has on the environment and help to save you money on your water bills. The most common reason that a faucet leaks is due to a worn-out gasket or washer, corrosion at the valve seat, and even a loose o-ring.
What Should You Do If You Have a Leaky Faucet?
If you notice that your faucet seems to have a leak, there are a couple of things that you’ll want to do to help prevent further damage to your home. Probably the most important is to shut off the water supply to your sink. Most sinks will have shut-off valves directly underneath them where you turn the valve perpendicular to the pipe to shut off the water. Unfortunately, if there is not a shut-off valve underneath your sink, then you’ll want to consider turning off the main water supply line or trying to locate another water supply valve in your basement.
Once you shut off the water supply, you’ll want to contact one of our plumbing professionals. The sooner they’re able to look at the problem, the quicker the problem will be resolved. If there is a water leak underneath your sink that has penetrated the bottom of your cabinet, you’ll want to act quickly to help prevent further damage, such as mold and mildew growth. Consider running a fan near or under the sink to help dry up the space and prevent microbial growth while drying out the wood or flooring material. You never want to let that material continue to be damp as it can lead to numerous other problems.
Check For Other Household Water Leaks
While a leaky faucet is going to be one of the most common types of water leaks that you’re going to deal with in your home, other fixtures may have issues as well. Check for leaks a couple of different times a year so that you can catch them whenever they develop. One of the best ways to help identify a hidden plumbing leak is to look at your water bill. If your water bill has increased and there has been no change in your usage, it’s fairly obvious that you have a leak somewhere.
Another tip for identifying leaks is to take a look at your water meter. Write down the usage number or take a picture of it. Then, don’t use any of the water in your home for about one to two hours. Head back out to your water meter and see what it says. If the reading has increased, then you have a hidden water leak somewhere in your home.
Trustworthy Plumbing Repair Service
Baker & Sons Plumbing offers trustworthy residential plumbing repair services for the Marion, IL community. We can also assist with all your sewer, septic, storm shelter, commercial plumbing, Hunt Safe deer blind, bacteria treatment, drain cleaning, garbage disposal, toilet, and leak detection needs. Call our office today to schedule your next service consultation.
