Modern plumbing is an innovative solution to our frequent bodily functions; prior to the widespread use of modern indoor plumbing people would use outhouses, wash tubs, wells, and chamber pots to take care of business. Most of us overlook just how good we have it until something does actually go wrong with our plumbing. Here are some ways to avoid expensive plumbing repairs through regular inspection and minor fixes around the house.
Cutting Your Water Bill Down
Expert plumbers state that the average home loses around 10% of their water though leaking pipes. A single faucet that drips at the rate of one drop per minute has the potential to cost a household a staggering 1,000 gallons of water over the course of a single year. Expert plumbers say that by identifying and correcting these easy-to-fix household water leaks, homeowners can save hundreds on their annual water bill. Additionally, by replacing existing fixtures with high efficiency models, homeowners have the potential to save up to 18,000 gallons of water every year. While most homeowners can tackle these minor leaks, it is the damage to one’s pipes that happens below ground where homeowners lose the most money.
Unseen Threats to Your Pipes
Water is a unique liquid due to the fact that it expands when it freezes. As interesting as this property is, it can spell havoc for one’s pipes. Houses with poor insulation are at high risk for having their pipes freeze during the winter months — homeowners can attempt to remedy this by having their pipes set at a constant drip to keep water flowing or by keeping the house’s temperature at no lower than 65 degrees. In total, water damage and freezing together account for nearly 22% of all homeowner insurance claims at an average of $4,024 per claim. Another common problem is the infiltration of tree roots in one’s sewer lines: in their ever-going search for water, tree roots begin penetrating old clay pipes, causing breaches that results in water loss and potential backflow. These leaks together contribute to significant water loss with the average house losing over 10,000 gallons of water per year, or the amount needed to wash 270 loads of laundry. If you believe that you are paying far too much on your monthly water bills, contact the expert plumbers in your area for a consultation.
Plumbing Installations
In the event of a damaged sewer pipe, expert plumbers ought to be contacted immediately. There was once a time when sewer repair and replacement implied the need for heavy excavation work to get to the pipe, resulting in a destroyed lawn and potential landscaping costs on top of the plumbing costs. Modern plumbers instead elect to perform a trenchless sewer repair method that allows for minimal excavation work to install or replace a new pipe. In a cured-in place pipe (CIPP) installation a bladder is coated with an epoxy resin, inserted into the existing pipe through a lead hole, and pulled through the old pipe and out the other end through another small excavation; the bladder is then filled with hot water which expands it to fit the existing pipe while activating the heat-activated resin to produce a seamless cast that serves as a new, unbroken sewer line. Pipe bursting on the other hand uses the same excavation process, but instead allows for a boring head to destroy the existing pipe while simultaneously placing a new pipe down section by section. Although these kind of techniques typically cost more than traditional excavation, homeowners are happy to avoid costly landscaping repairs and believe in the quality results which can last for up to 50 years. Count on the experience of local expert plumbers in your area to inspect and replace the source of your home’s water losses.