What to Do About a Dreaded Water Leak

Finding the best plumber in Melbourne to quickly locate and repair water leaks will prevent major damage to your home and save you money in repair bills.

If you think you have a water leak you need to act quickly to locate the source of the leak. An expert local plumber in water leaks will be able to locate and repair your leak before it causes considerable damage to your home or business.

The first step when you have a Water Leak

1. When you have a water leak your first step is to turn off your water supply to your home. See our blog to learn how to do this.
2. The second step is to call your local plumber, they will have a plumbing professional out to your property within the hour.

Dripping toilets and leaking taps may seem like a small plumbing problem at the time but the damage they can cause can amount to expensive repairs.

Essendon Plumbing Services suggests if you’re not a confident DIYer then you should contact an experienced plumber who will quickly locate and repair your water leak before irreparable damage is done to your home.

The Most Common Water Leaks

1. Fixtures and Tapware

Toilets, basins, baths, and showers are all common household plumbing fixtures. They all have tapware that supplies water to the fixture, and they all utilise a drainage system to remove wastewater from the fixture.

Plumbing pipework is used to both supply water and remove water from the fixture and this is where common leaks occur.

Here are some common causes of leaking plumbing fixtures:

• Old and corroded pipework
• Blocked pipes
• Incorrect installations
• Split washers
• High water pressure
• Split or broken pipes

These leaks can cause serious damage to the walls, floors, cabinetry, footings, and foundations of your home and cause your property to move cracking brickwork and plaster.

There can also be a serious risk of electrocution or fire if water is left dripping onto electrical wires, fittings, or appliances, which is why a fast response to water leaks is critical.

Tap washers and dripping taps are an easy repair that any confident DIYer can legally do but remember to always turn off the water at the meter before you start.

Note: Some older taps can be hard to remove, so if this is the case, we suggest calling an experienced licensed plumber to prevent causing further damage.

2. Drains

Your home sewer and storm water system are either suspended below ground or both. Old pipes like earthenware and cast iron are prone to cracking and rusting over time. Ground movement and tree roots are a common cause of broken and cracked earthenware sewer and storm water pipes.

Once the drains are cracked water starts to seep into the ground causing movement and allowing tree roots to enter the drain. Once inside, the pipe tree roots thrive in the moist environment quickly growing and causing your pipes to clog.

There are many different signs your drains might be starting to block such as:

• The toilet starting to gurgle
• The kitchen sink draining slowly
• The shower draining slowly
• The basin draining slowly
• Unexpected wet patches in the lawn or paved areas outside your home that are normally dry.

An overflowing sewer is a health risk and needs to be dealt with by an experienced licensed plumber as soon as you notice one of the above signs.

Leaking drains can also cause structural damage to your home by changing the moisture content of the surrounding soil causing ground movement effecting footings and foundations and causing walls to crack.

Call Essendon Plumbing Services for a quick 1hr response time for all your plumbing emergencies.