Your Total Guide to a Leak-Free Home and Healthy Plumbing System

Plumbing leaks are a scary prospect for every homeowner because of the substantial damage that water can do to your home and your belongings.

You don’t have to wait and worry though; a much better course of action is to proactively try to prevent water leaks from occurring. It’s fairly easy to do.

Here is a list of items to start with to make your Woodland, CA home leak-free.

How to Identify a Leak

There are a number of signs of water leaks, like pooling water, moisture on your pipes, water damage and mold growth.

There are notorious trouble spots that you should check regularly. Start outside and look at hose bibs; outdoor hose bibs leak often, and you may not think to check them because they are outside.

Check out your showerheads and other plumbing fixtures. Look at the flooring and walls around appliances that use water, like your dishwasher, washing machine and ice maker in your fridge. Open cabinets under sinks and look at the P-trap for moisture.

Water Pressure Reduction

High water pressure is great when you are in the shower or filling the pot to cook supper, but it’s not desirable from the point of view of leak prevention.

Check out the pressure. If it is in the 40-45 psi range, that is better for your pipes, but you may not find that very convenient for use.

It’s ok to put it up between 50 and 60 psi, but don’t go over that. It might be a wise idea to install a regulator if you don’t already have one.

Prevent Pipe Corrosion

While you may think that age is what causes pipes to leak, but it is the corrosion that occurs over time that is the culprit. There are things that you can do to slow the process.

Even if your pipes look ok on the outside, there may be a great deal of rust gathering on the inside that is problematic. Make sure that you change your water heater’s anode rods.

If they are rusty, that will get into your water and cause more corrosion. Don’t let water stagnate in horizontal pipes. If you live an area that is known to have lots of sand or silt, get your pipes hydro-jetted out on a regular basis, as that can contribute to corrosion too.

Drain Cleaner Danger

The hydrochloric acid in commercial drain cleaners will eat away through your clogs, but realize that it is eating through your pipes at the same time.

It’s smarter to use a plumbing snake or call your plumber for help. It’s worthwhile trying to do everything that you can to prevent leaks, both from a cost and from a peace of mind standpoint.