It’s difficult to know where the leak is coming from without extensive plumbing knowledge. In addition, plumbing leaks are often embarrassing, and the more you procrastinate with fixing it, the bigger the mess will be. To avoid this, you should try to find out where the leak might be coming from.
Identify Where the Leak Is Coming From
There are a couple of ways you can go about identifying where the leak is coming from. One option is to check for wet spots or water dripping from pipes. Of course, you’ll need to turn off your water before starting service and repair so that you don’t make matters worse!
The other option is to take measurements in your home. On average, you should be checking that the distance between the floor and the sink in your kitchen is around 18 inches, providing room for water in case of a leak. Your shower in your bathroom should have an average distance of 13 inches from the floor to the top of the showerhead, providing enough room for water when it’s turned on.
Shut Off All Your Water and Drain Pipes
Before fixing the leak, make sure you turn off all of your water and drain your pipes. This will have two benefits: it will stop water from dripping out of a leak if you can’t find it and prevent further damage from happening while you work. For example, if you have a dishwasher, turn off the water at the connection under your sink. Then open up the hose to drain any remaining water out of it. Your laundry machine should have a shut-off valve as well. This will be located where your house’s main water line enters the home.
Check Each Connection for Leaks
If you find a leak, you’ll need to replace the coupling and tighten it down with some new pipe sealant. You can also try adding a few drops of food colouring in your water supply lines to see where the leak is coming from. If the water supply is to your dishwasher, run it through a complete cycle and watch for coloured water to seep out along the connections.
Fix the Leak after Finding It
If you find that your leak is coming from around the taps, find the specific tap that is leaking and remove it. If you’re not sure which tap is leaking, try tightening all of them by hand to see if any of them stop the water flow. Once you’ve found the culprit, unscrew it with a screwdriver or wrench. Fix it by replacing it with a new one if needed and tighten to seal the leak.
Turn On Water to Check for Leaks
After fixing the leak, test your pipes by turning your water on to see if it starts leaking from a pipe, if there are any leaks, tighten or replace the nut or bolt holding the problem piece of the pipe to the sink. It may be that you need a new gasket for where the pipe meets the sink. Repeat the process if any leaks remain.
Conclusion
If you have a plumbing leak, it’s important to identify the source of the leak right away. We hope that this article has been helpful to you in identifying and fixing plumbing leaks. Fixing leaking pipes is not typically an easy task so if your home or business has leaks in its plumbing system, contact our team at The kingwood plumbing company today!