You might think that a plumber is only there if something goes wrong with your plumbing system. In reality, plumbers are responsible for keeping all kinds of pipes in your home in good working order. Leaky pipes are among the most common plumbing issues. Luckily, they’re also some of the easiest problems to fix. If you have a leaking pipe somewhere in your home, a professional plumber will be able to come out quickly and fix it while it’s convenient for you. If you notice a small drip or a few drops of water coming out of your pipes one or two times a week, it’s best to get in touch with a certified plumber as soon as possible. Pipes can begin to corrode or develop leaks because of normal wear and tear and the natural flow of water through your home. Fortunately, most leaks are easy to fix. Here is how to fix a leaking pipe:
Step 1: Survey the Area
Before you call a plumber, you should first investigate the problem and see exactly where the leak is coming from. Start by looking at your water meter—if it’s outside your home, it’s the best place to measure the water usage. You can also check your water bill to get information about when your water was last turned on and how much water you used. If you live in a multi-unit building, check the main water line for the building and see if there are any obvious leaks.
Step 2: Determine if the pipe is live or not
If you have a small amount of water dripping from the pipe, but it’s not a huge problem, it could be that the pipe is broken but isn’t actively leaking water. To figure out if the pipe is live and if it’s actively leaking water, you’ll need to dig a bit further. Look at where the water is coming from. If you have a sprinkler system, for example, it’s possible that the water from the system is leaking out of the pipe. If the pipe is live and there’s water leaking from the pipe, you’ll need to repair it before you can continue to fix the leak. If the pipe is not live, you’ll need to dig down to the main water line and dig around the pipe to determine if the water is leaking from the pipe.
Step 3: Clean up the area where the pipe is leaking
If you have a clean-up project and there’s no imminent danger, you can try to fix the leaking pipe first. Simply repair and patch up the leaking pipe with some tape and putty. Once you’ve patched the pipe, it will be able to hold pressure again and the leak will go away.If the pipe is leaking and you’re in a clean-up project, you can try to patch the pipe and put the cleaning project off until the next day. If the leak is small, it may go away on its own. The problem with patching the pipe is that you’ll be putting a patch over the leaking area that won’t be able to hold as much pressure and will eventually start leaking again.
Step 4: Turn off the water at the main shut-off
If the pipe is leaking and you do not have another clean-up project to work on, you can try to turn off the water at the main shut-off. This can help you to stop the leak, but it will take some time for the water to run out of the faucet. This may not be a viable option if you have a large amount of water inside the house that needs to be shut off as soon as possible.If you have a shut-off valve inside of your home, you can shut off the water for the entire house. This will help you to stop the water from leaking, but it will still take time for the water to run out of the faucet. If you have a shut-off valve, you can try to shut off the water and then turn on the water again. This can help you to stop the leak, but it will take some time for the water to run out of the faucet again.
Step 5: Turn off the water at the water meter
If you have a shut-off valve inside of your home, you can shut off the water for the entire house. This will help you to stop the water from leaking, but it will still take time for the water to run out of the faucet. If you have a shut-off valve, you can try to shut off the water and then turn on the water again. This can help you to stop the leak, but it will take some time for the water to run out of the faucet again.If you have a water meter outside of your home, you can turn off the water for the entire house. This will help you to stop the water from leaking, but it will still take time for the water to run out of the faucet. If you have a shut-off valve, you can try to shut off the water and then turn on the water again. This can help you to stop the leak, but it will take some time for the water to run out of the faucet again.
Step 6: Check for frozen pipes
If you have a pipe that is frozen in your home, you can use a plumbing snake to try to thaw the pipe out. Frozen pipes are usually fairly easy to thaw out, as long as the water isn’t flowing through them. If the water is flowing through the frozen pipe, it can increase the amount of damage done to the pipe.If the frozen pipe is in your kitchen or another area that is in use and you don’t want to risk thawing the pipe, you can simply turn off the water at the main shut-off and let it thaw out. Once the pipe is thawed out, you can turn the water back on to resume normal use.
Conclusion
Leaking pipes can be inconvenient, but they’re usually easy to fix. If you have a small drip or a few drops of water coming out of your pipes one or two times a week, it’s best to get in touch with a certified plumber as soon as possible. Once you’ve found the leaking pipe, you can repair it and avoid further damage. Leaking pipes can be a serious problem, so it’s important to have them fixed as soon as possible to prevent further water damage.