The True Cost of Plumbing Leaks

What is the True Cost of a Leaking Pipe in Your Home?

If you have been ignoring small leaks in any part of your plumbing system, you should go back and fix them now. Untreated plumbing issues could lead to more costly repairs later on, which may be even more expensive than the increase in your water bill.

Minor Plumbing Leaks Cost

It’s not just the big leaks you have to worry about. Even seemingly small leaks can lead to an incredible increase in your water bill.
Faucet leaks bother most people, and for good reason. The sound of dripping water is a warning that you’re wasting water and money. You probably had no idea that a drip of water per second can mean you’re paying for 9 extra gallons of water a day.
The American Water Works Association states that toilets consume 45% of the water in an ordinary household. A faulty flush valve or tank stopper causes most cases of running toilets. In this situation, the water will flow from the tank to the toilet continuously. Properly adjusting the ballcock (the round floating device that tells your toilet tank that it is full) is an easy fix in most cases of toilet leaks. A running toilet can cost you about 1 gallon per hour and up to 26 gallons a day.
Tiny pinholes in your water heater are another cause of small leaks. However, aside from the leaks they cause, it can mean you need to pay for repairs or possibly even replace a damaged water heater, as well as causing a surge in your water bill.
Copper is a durable pipe material. However, problems may occur when the velocity of water goes above 8 feet per second for cold water and 5 feet per second for warm water. Another cause of issues with copper pipes is improper pipe fitting. Fixing any of these issues early on may mean you can avoid more costly repairs later.

Major Leaks Cost

The leaks hidden beneath a wall or underground are the most serious leaks that often go unnoticed. They can either be broken or cracked. The pipes corrode or react from oxidation. Other compounds should not remain on any part of it.
Common causes also include high chlorine levels in the water, corroded rusts from the water heater, or high pH levels in the water.
These leaks can lead to repair costs for your roof, ceiling, basement, drywall, floors, and bathroom apart from the plumbing repairs.
Too much? Yes. Let’s break that down.
Shower leaks are unnoticeable. The water goes up in heightened pressure. You can lose about 10 drips per minute or 1.4 gallons of water a day from shower leaks alone. That’s a small amount.
Water quality issues damage fixtures like showers or sink taps. Replacing fixtures can cost you from $150 to $350 depending on the materials used.
But when shower leaks come with bathtub leaks leaving cracked and molded grout and caulk, you should be alarmed. It can develop mold. Mold and splashed water go into the cracks in between tiles. Mold that damages your walls may require a full renovation. It can damage dry wall from the other side and the wood behind it. You may need to get your bathroom remodeled.
Let’s get down to your drainage. Drain leaks lead to more repairs. The cracked or broken pipes in your drainage can rot your ceilings underneath the floors. It can wet, rot, and soften the wooden joists and dry wall that is attached to it.
You will have to replace your ceiling with drywall. Drywall costs $400 for a hundred square feet. A repair in the subfloor will ask you to pay around $45 per hour of labor. The joist can cost from $100 to $300 per piece.
If the bathroom flood has reached the walls, you may have to replace your walls as well.
Those repair estimates do not even include your plumbing repair costs which will vary depending on the work that is needed to be completed. Spartan Plumbing can help you deal with all plumbing leaks leaks, minor to major leaks.
The True Cost of Plumbing Leaks was first published to https://www.spartantucson.com