Faucet Leaks
Faucet leaks can waste more water than you think. Have
you ever put a cup or bowl underneath a leaky faucet and actually seen
how much water is wasted. Leaky faucets should be repaired as soon as
possible to prevent the waste of water in your home. Water is a precious
resource and should be used wisely.
Once slow drip from the faucet can waste over 5 gallons of water per
day. If you think that's not a big deal, let me put it in perspective
for you. 5 gallons of water per day equals 35 gallons per week, times 52
weeks in a year, that equals over 1800 gallons of water, and that's a
lot of water.
The problem with a faucet leak isn't just the amount of water it waste,
it will soon start to deteriorate your sinks, bathtubs and showers and
could damage other sections of the home, like the wood framing. I've
seen a water drip in a steel kitchen sink, in just a few years, wear a
hole right through it. Keep in mind water and wind formed the Grand
Canyon, water can be extremely erosive.
Faucet leaks can attract house pests, like mice, flies, ants and a wide
variety of other insects.
Most faucets can usually be repaired for under $20. Most of the time the
problem will be in the valves or handles that turn the water on and on.
If you're not familiar with plumbing parts, you could pick up a
do-it-yourself home repair manual or go online and look up the
manufacturer of your faucet, for more information.
Usually the manufacturer has a diagram of the faucet, broken down into
sections and you could get a pretty good idea, what parts you will need
to remove, in order to replace the damaged part or parts that are
creating the water leak.
Calling a plumber seems to be most homeowners last resort. They only do
it if they absolutely have to. If you don't understand how a faucet
works and have no desire to learn how, I would suggest you call a
plumber or contact someone who can help you with your faucet leak, but
get the faucet leak fixed and quit wasting water.