What Causes Plumbing Leaks?

When plumbing leaks occur, trouble is sure to follow. However, why do pipelines leak in the first place? Oxidation, cracking, and broken pipes only lead to significant water damage. The issue is a majority of your home’s pipes are hidden from view.

So, how can you tell if you have plumbing leaks before you have a major mold problem? There are several typical reasons for plumbing leaks, but you wouldn’t know what to check for if you didn’t know what to look out for.

We have your back. There are different types of plumbing leaks. The most common causes of pipe leaks are listed below. Your plumber is usually the best person to start with if you want to find out what causes pipes to leak.

fixing plumbing leaks

Plumbing Leaks Caused by Broken Water Seals

There are seals around the water connections on every home device linked to the plumbing system. It prevents you from having your indoor pool and keeps the flow of water where you want it.

You may have a damaged water seal if you see a lot of “condensation” (or just literal pools of water) surrounding your dishwasher or refrigerator. This might be why plumbing leaks have happened in your house in this scenario.

High Water Pressure Leading to Pipe Leaks

You want lots of water pressure in your shower, but your pipes can only take so much. A home’s typical pipes can withstand maximum water pressure of 60 psi. Your psi should be between 40-45 psi.

Having high water pressure in the shower might be great, but not at the cost of causing plumbing leaks.

Plumbing Leaks Caused by Pipe Corrosion

Water pipes rust. It’s unavoidable. We tend to disregard “little” problems in our boiler room plumbing, but those “minor” problems quickly become major ones. If you detect any discoloration, leakage, or warping in your copper pipes, it’s time to call a plumber.

Before the minor cause that makes the pipes leak makes everything worse, have a plumber analyze the issue as soon as possible. The water quality is impacted by rusting pipes, which eventually affects your health.

There are methods on how you can avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Plumbing Leaks and Broken Pipe Joints

Pipe joints are necessary to connect pipes from one end of your residential plumbing system to the other. Pipe joints are the most susceptible components of your piping systems. Like your copper pipes, your joints will rust and corrode over time.

It occurs considerably faster since the joints have a significantly smaller surface area. When investigating what causes plumbing leaks, it’s usually a good idea to examine your pipe joints. The only issue is that most of the pipe connections in your home’s plumbing systems are hidden.

Using your ears is the easiest method to check for damaged pipe joints causing plumbing leaks. You may hear a lot of clinking and clanging when you turn on the hot water. This might be due to faulty pipe fittings.

Clogged Water Lines Cause Plumbing Leaks

Clogged drains are annoying and can cause disaster, especially in commercial plumbing systems. Still, they are easily remedied using drain cleaning. Clogged or blocked water lines are responsible for plumbing leaks, water damage, and damaged pipes.

Water constantly backs up when your water pipes are clogged. This significantly increases the water pressure in your plumbing system, which can easily lead to leaks.

Sneaky Tree Roots Can Cause Plumbing Leaks

Other threats to your pipes lie outside of your home. Growing root systems in your yard can strain your pipes, especially in compacted soils. Excessive pressure may easily cause pipes to break and leak.

If you find unusual pools of water on your lawn, you may be dealing with a busted pipe or some plumbing leaks.

Rapid Temperature Change

This is especially problematic during the winter. Rapid temperature variations in the water (or outside temperature) cause your pipes to expand and shrink. This will cause your pipes to break over time as the walls of the pipes become thinner and thinner.

This happens naturally when your pipes age, but significant temperature swings can worsen it. In most plumbing systems, protective layers are put on pipes, especially in industrial plumbing systems, which can help delay this type of damage to the pipes.

Knowing the Causes, the Signs, and the Solution for the plumbing leaks

So you now understand what causes plumbing leaks and the fundamental symptoms. One of the options is trying to do your plumbing repairs by yourself.

Since there are different types of plumbing leaks, there is no need to take any risks. When you need your pipes fixed or changed, always call a professional. Still, it’s a good idea to learn about quick plumbing fixes everyone should know.

What is a Pipe Leak Tape – Everything to Know

Several types of pipe leak tape can be used to fix various plumbing leak issues. To patch leaking pipe joints, use pipe thread tape, often called “Teflon” or “Plumber’s” pipe.

Use silicone tape, also known as “leak repair,” “self-amalgamating,” or “fusing” tape, to patch hairline cracks in pipes or other non-joint leaks.

The uses for pipe leak tape in plumbing are surprisingly wide. You must have the correct pipe leak tape and know how to use it. The various repairs that can be made using typical types of pipe leak tape are listed below.

fixing a pipe leak with a tape

What is Pipe Leak Tape?

Pipe thread tape and silicone tape are the two types of tape commonly used in repairing leaky pipes. Both are often can be found in hardware stores and have various uses:

Pipe thread tape

This is also referred to as “plumber’s tape,” “PTFE tape,” “Teflon tape,” and “thread seal tape.” It is used to lubricate the connection between the joints to make threading quicker and disassembly simpler and to help to establish a watertight seal between plumbing joints.

Silicone tape

Because this type of pipe leak tape is only self-adhesive, it is also known as “self-amalgamating tape” or “self-fusing tape.” It sticks to itself, not the pipe, as other tapes do. A temporary waterproof seal can be established around a pipe leak by wrapping silicone tape around it.

They come in handy, especially in the boiler room and commercial plumbing systems with many pipes and might have electrical equipment.

When Should I Use Each Pipe Leak Tape?

Silicone tapes and pipe thread have very different uses. You should never use silicone tape on pipe threads, and pipe thread tape won’t properly fix non-joint pipe leaks. Instead, make sure you apply each tape as directed:

Seal leaking joints with pipe leak tape

Pipe joints may begin dripping if the connection between them has become loose or the tape or putty that seals the connection has become worn out. These two issues can be resolved with pipe thread tape.

Fix fracture leaks with pipe leak tape

The connection between your pipe’s joints can be loose, or the pipe leak tape that seals the connection might have worn out, causing your pipe’s joints to leak. Pipe thread tape can be used to fix either of these problems.

Get some pipe thread tape if you find that the pipe leak is coming from a joint.

Pipe Thread Tape on Leaking Joints

The old pipe leak tape between the joints will be replaced with pipe thread tape to fix a leaky joint. You must disconnect the connection before wrapping the tape around the pipe. Initially, shut off the water.

Unscrew the leaky pipe junction. Remember which way the pipe needs to be turned to be screwed into and unscrewed from the joint. The worn-out seal should then be removed before you start applying the pipe thread tape.

In the opposite direction, where you will screw the pipe back in, wrap the tape around the thread. Starting with the second thread from the bottom, wrap the tape four to six times around. Make sure the threads and tape are firmly attached.

Check for leaks after wrapping the pipe to the end and screwing it back into the junction.

a repaired pipe with a pipe leak tape

Silicone Tape for Fracture Leaks

This method is even easier. Once you have located the leak and are certain of its location, turn off the water. Dry the pipe area around the leak as much as possible before starting to tape it off.

Wrap the tape as firmly as possible, crossing it over itself multiple times. Wrap the tape around the region surrounding the leak. For maximum results, ensure the seal you’re making is as tight and secure on the pipe as possible.

Can Pipe Leak Tape Fix a Leak for Good?

A similar operation we explained may be done using regular pipe thread tape and can last for years. You can consider it a long-term (but ultimately temporary) remedy if the joint isn’t leaking.

While you look for more long-term solutions, silicone tape should only be used as a temporary treatment. Use silicone tape to stop leaks from growing worse or from wasting more water while you wait for a plumber, but never as a long-term solution.

Overall, pipe leak tape is surprisingly reliable and practical for many plumbing issues. By replacing joint seals with pipe thread tape, you can maintain the quality of your residential plumbing system with a quick do-it-yourself project.

Suppose you require professional assistance because pipe leak tape can’t create the proper seal. Fortunately, there are professional plumbers always just a phone call away. They will quickly and correctly solve the plumbing leak issue, whether pipe leak tape is necessary or not.

How Can You Avoid Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion?

Home plumbing pipe corrosion is one of the most prevalent issues impacting home water supplies and systems. It degrades the overall quality of the water and produces a foul flavor. Furthermore, copper and lead may seep into drinking water and create health hazards.

Copper poisoning in water can cause intestinal issues in the short term and liver and kidney damage in the long run. Lead poisoning can harm children’s physical and mental development. Let us first explore some of the most prevalent causes before we discuss measures to avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion.

  • Industrial plumbing systems incorporating copper pipes can reduce the water’s pH level and cause corrosion in the water.
  • Oxygenated water can form rust in metal pipes that damages the lines and causes severe health hazards.
  • Mineral buildups can reduce the water quality and form clogs
  • In some systems, hot water can cause home plumbing pipe corrosion and make them toxic.

Cleaning the Pipes Before Installation

Pre-installation pipeline cleaning is one of the most efficient strategies to avoid water. Everyone should clean the lines of commercial or residential plumbing systems before installation and remove all dirt to extend the plumbing system’s life.

Use a cleaning solution to fully clean your home’s water system and prevent home plumbing pipe corrosion. The water should be flushed out of the system frequently until clean and clear water emerges.

prevent plumbing pipe corrosion

Why Do We Need to Clean Pipes Pre-Installation?

You can find Mill scale, jointing compounds, and a variety of other materials associated with the industries and constructions in newly created water pipes.

Systems not thoroughly cleansed of these impurities before use may accumulate sludge and germs over time. As a result, home plumbing pipe corrosion, obstructions, and biodegradation can occur, resulting in inefficiencies, leaks, and other expensive system failures.

Inadequate cleaning can leave suspended particles, biofilm, grease, and other impurities in your system, forming an impenetrable coating on the piping. As a result, inhibitors will not reach the metal surface and will be unable to prevent further corrosion, amplifying the home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Maintaining a Steady PH level in the water.

It is critical to keep water’s pH stable to have healthy drinking water and prevent water pipe corrosion. A healthy pH level implies it should be neither acidic nor alkaline. It should have a pH level of 7 that is balanced. If the pH level of the water is greater than 7, it is alkaline; if the pH level is less than 7, it is acidic. Rain that falls on the ground is generally acidic because it takes up carbon dioxide as it falls and converts it to carbonic acid.

The soil’s limestone and dolomite (calcium magnesium carbonate) can neutralize the acid, making it more alkaline. Water containing calcium and magnesium salts is less corrosive because these minerals cover the inside pipes, protecting against home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Prevent Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion by Using Phosphates

Phosphates are occasionally added to water supplies to prevent water pipe corrosion. They operate as a corrosion inhibitors, preventing metals from leaching from lead and copper pipes. When inorganic phosphates are introduced to the water supply, an insoluble protective mineral scale coating forms on the interior of service pipes and domestic water lines. This protects the lines against home plumbing pipe corrosion.

Compared to a typical adult diet, the quantity of phosphate in a water supply is relatively small. But it’s crucial for phosphates and other chemical water treatments to be handled by specialists who know how to determine which treatment is best suited to avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion while not making the water toxic from these chemicals.

prevent plumbing pipe corrosion

Using Chlorine to Prevent CPVC Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion

Chlorine is widely used to keep hazardous germs at bay and to prevent material buildup in cooling towers and recirculating systems. But it’s vital for home plumbing pipe corrosion safety; remember that chlorine can cause damage to other pipes besides CPVC. As the name chlorinated polyvinyl chloride implies, CPVC is inherently very impervious to chlorine and the degradation it can cause to other materials.

Therefore, adding chlorine tablets to the water supply is one of the most significant ways to avoid water corrosion if your property utilizes CPVC pipes. Chlorine serves as a disinfectant and may destroy bacteria and pathogens. This is an efficient method of protecting water and avoiding home plumbing pipe corrosion for drinking while also killing bacteria that cause water corrosion.

How to Avoid Galvanic Corrosions

Not every metal gets along. Galvanic corrosion occurs when one metal draws electrons from another; as a result, the structure is weakened. For example, if aluminum and carbon steel are joined and submerged in seawater, the aluminum will corrode faster, but the steel will be protected. Let’s look at two of the most common ways how we can avoid home plumbing pipe corrosion for this issue:

Insulating the Metals

Metals such as copper are excellent conductors of electricity but are susceptible to electrolysis and galvanic corrosion. Underground copper or brass pipes can rot away if not shielded from this type of home plumbing pipe corrosion. PVC or plastic irrigation tubing can be utilized to insulate these metals. Paints, coatings, oils, and greases are also acceptable.

Using Home Plumbing Pipe Corrosion Inhibitors

The most efficient galvanic corrosion inhibitors remove dissolved oxygen from the electrolyte solution. Removing oxygen reduces the likelihood of reduction occurring at the anode, and the home plumbing pipe corrosion process is halted.

 

Best 5 Ways to Improve Water Heater Efficiency

One of the appliances in our modern homes with the highest energy consumption is the water heater. Do you want to learn how to improve water heater efficiency? If so, then read on. When you improve water heater efficiency, you can cut back on your heating costs.

There are several easy methods and modest investments you can make to reduce energy expenses, improve the performance of your hot water heater, and improve water heater efficiency, whether it is an electric or gas model.

Some of the tips provided are simple, and you can do them easily, while some will require you to get help from a professional. Depending on your needs, you might need residential plumbing, commercial plumbing, or industrial plumbing services to get an efficient water heater system.

Right-Sized Water Heater will Improve Water Heater Efficiency

Is your water heater the proper capacity for your home? You might believe that a smaller water heater makes them superior for saving energy, but you’d be mistaken. Why? Because an underpowered water heater is overburdened, it’s been heated too much, so while you use the hot water, the burner must be running continuously.

This doesn’t help to improve water heater efficiency. Large utility bills may result from that hot water heater running nonstop! Which decreases water heater efficiency. Instead, make an investment in a bigger water heater that can sustain the hot water demands of your household.

If your existing hot water heater seems to be in continual use, it could be time for an update that will improve water heater efficiency subsequently.

Keep an Eye on Particles in the Tank 

If you reside in a region where the water is hard, you are aware that this may have a considerable effect on the efficiency of water heaters. These minerals crystallize and deposit on the bottom of your hot water heater as the water is heated. This debris lowers water heater efficiency and then, over time, slows your water heater.

Emptying the water heater’s tank once a year can help maintain your tank by cleaning the debris to help improve water heater efficiency. You can do this yourself by reading company guidelines and safety instructions or call a residential plumbing service, commercial plumbing service, or industrial plumbing service according to your needs.

To Improve Water Heater Efficiency, Invest in a Tankless Water Heater 

Perhaps you have heard the questions concerning the efficiency of water heaters regarding regular tank and tankless options. Tankless versions are the latest, high-performance, and most efficient type of water heater. This type will require less effort to improve water heater efficiency.

They may give you an infinite supply of hot water while saving you up to 40% on energy costs. Tankless water heaters only operate when you’re actually utilizing the hot water, unlike conventional water heaters. This will improve water heater efficiency for your home.

Traditional water heaters heat the water and afterward keep it hot, switching on and off to keep water held in a big reservoir heated for hours, even when not in use. But on the other hand, tankless water heaters switch on when you turn on the hot water tap and off when you turn it off, resulting in significant savings over traditional tank hot water heaters, which makes this type an efficient water heater.

Improve Water Heater Efficiency by Insulating the Water Tank and Pipes

The tank and pipework of your hot water heater can be considered the source of heat and energy loss. It will lose less heat if you install more insulation around the storage-style water heater. Especially with gas-fired water heaters, install the insulating according to the requirements of the manufacturer to avoid blocking the air inlet.

Consider insulating the water tank and the external pipes to save the most energy and improve water heater efficiency, preventing heat loss as freshly heated water travels from the water heater to its final destination. Insulation blankets are reasonably priced and can significantly lower your energy costs!

While you try to improve water heater efficiency, be sure not to block the water heater’s top, bottom, thermostat, or burner for gas tanks or the thermostat for electric tanks. Insulate hot water pipes as well. It is more likely that you won’t be wasting energy and resources the next time you use hot water if the water in hot water pipes remains warm after you run the tap. This makes a lot of difference in improving water heater efficiency.

Turn Down Your Thermostat

Simply decreasing the hot water heater’s thermostat can have a substantial impact on your energy bill and help to improve water heater efficiency, just like you’d do with your heater during the winter or your air conditioner during the summer. A hot water heater’s factory setting is normally 60 degrees Celsius.

By decreasing your water temperature by just 10 degrees, you could save 3–5% on your overall water heating costs. It’ll also improve water heater efficiency. If your thermostat is broken or does not display the temperatures, it might be a bit difficult to improve water heater efficiency this way, but it is not impossible. You can just use a thermometer to get the required temperature.

If you have young kids, they may be at risk of accidentally burning themselves because a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius is too hot for human skin tissue. Lowering your thermostat to 50 degrees Celsius is the best way to improve water heater efficiency while also lowering this risk factor. 

All hot water pipes in new home construction need to be insulated. Except for pipes that are easily accessible, such as those in a basement, insulating pipes in older homes can be fairly complex and may not be worth the effort.

 

An alternative system, such as a solar water heater, will be able to improve water heater efficiency in general and satisfy a larger portion of your needs.