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Can A Dripping Tap Cause Damage

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  • Admin
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  • Dripping Tap, Drainage Problems, Fixing A Tap
  • Posted date:
  • 07-09-2022
Can A Dripping Tap Cause Damage

Can a dripping tap cause damage? This article looks at property and health hazards caused by a dripping tap and asks: when do I call the professionals?.

Can A Dripping Tap Cause Damage?

A dripping tap may not seem like an emergency at first, but it can lead to any of the following problems:

Health Hazards

In most cases, the mould, mildew, and material degradation caused by leaks are more dangerous to your and your family's health than the leak itself. These issues can grow unnoticed in your home's structure and foundations and may not be identified until they have caused serious diseases or costly damage.

Mould is a particular source of worry because it produces harmful substances known as mycotoxins, which can induce allergic responses, hypersensitivity, and respiratory issues. Furthermore, stagnant water can cause mishaps and allow unwanted insects and bacteria to flourish in and around your house or business.

All of these possible issues may be prevented by having an expert professional inspect your leaky taps or pipes as soon as you discover them.

Saving Water

When left to its own devices, a leaking faucet or pipe can waste up to 20,000 litres of water each year; a minor leak can have a tremendous influence on our ecosystem. As climate change, droughts, and a growing population begin to have an influence on our ecosystem; everyone should do their share to safeguard our valuable water supplies. 

While conserving water in any way around the house is usually a good thing, it can be as simple as contacting a certified plumber to get your leaky tap fixed permanently.

Saving Money

Water utility prices have grown considerably as a result of climate change, declining rainfall averages, and increased demand for water supplies. Given how much water a leaking tap may waste in a year, this is an expense that many households just cannot afford.

Even at the lowest volume charge, this can add hundreds of pounds to your water bill each year, not to mention the extra costs that a leaky tap might cause. If a leak is allowed to persist for an extended period of time, it can badly damage the tap, necessitating the replacement of the complete tap system, and increasing the repair cost.

Structural Damage

If left untreated, leaking taps can potentially cause severe structural damage to your property. You may suffer foundation, wall, and floor damage, and if left too long, you may be unable to live in your house for an extended period of time.

If you've ever had substantial water damage to your house, you know it's a costly, time-consuming procedure with no assurance of a quick fix. Calling a plumber to remedy your leak immediately, rather than ignoring it, is a tiny price to pay compared to potentially inflicting unknown harm to your home later.

Your Obligations

If you own your own house, you must fulfil certain obligations in order to continue getting water service. While broken taps aren't directly stated, repairing your home's water consumption facilities is part of the ongoing water supply requirement.

If you rent your house, there's a good likelihood that your contract prohibits you from performing any DIY repairs. The requirements are there to safeguard you and the property owner against monetary disputes or poor repair work.

Residential landlords must hire skilled individuals to maintain their properties on schedule and at their expense. Even while a leaky tap can appear to be a minor issue, if left untreated, it can lead to much greater problems. We advise having a professional fix it so that the issues don't start in the first place.

However, if you have any plumbing skills, you might want to try fixing it yourself first. To determine if you should do it, look at our instructions for mending leaky taps yourself. 

Can A Dripping Tap Cause Damage?

How to Fix a Dripping Tap

A major problem in daily living might be leaky or leaking faucets. In addition to making a loud noise, they can waste up to 3 gallons of water per day due to leaks. You'll eventually notice that your water bills are going up and that the services you are paying for are just draining away.

While repairs may require some upfront costs, they ultimately cost less in the long term. You can fix the leaky tap yourself if you are proficient with tools.

Types of Taps

The dripping in conventional water taps is caused by a broken washer, which should be replaced. Leaking in a Monobloc tap is most often caused by a defective ceramic cartridge. The final remedy is the replacement.

A compression valve tap is another name for a typical tap. You have compression valve taps if you have separate hot and cold taps that require more than a quarter turn to get maximum flow.

Tools You'll Need

An adjustable spanner, a cross-headed screwdriver, a new cartridge, and oil are required. Although a leaky tap is not considered substantial plumbing repair, you should be prepared for a professional to come into your house, just as you would for any other type of home maintenance. Anything that might impede the repairs should not be left lying around. To ensure the success of your do-it-yourself repair, turn off the water supply immediately.

By ensuring sure the water supply is shut off, you are guarding against any potential future harm that the leaking water may create. This also keeps you from creating a big mess while doing the repair. Make sure the sink is connected before you disassemble the tap. This stops any tiny tap components from falling into the drain.

Tools You'll Need - Dripping Tap

Once that is fastened, start disassembling the tap by removing the tap handle and unscrewing the tap mechanism using a screwdriver. To make the rebuilding process considerably simpler, be sure to arrange the pieces you have unscrewed. You may identify whether components of your tap are corroded, harmed, flawed, or coated with mineral deposits by disassembling it.

Make sure the replacement component fits correctly into the tap once you've determined which pieces need to be replaced. If not, this will simply worsen the situation. To ensure that you obtain the replacement component in the right size, you might wish to snap a picture of the damaged component or, better yet, bring the component with you to the hardware shop.

Here are the parts that are frequently damaged and which you should watch out for: ceramic disc, rubber washer, and O-ring. Once all the parts have been fixed and are ready for use, you may start putting the tap back together. Follow the instructions properly and in the correct sequence.

Tighten all of the screws to make sure everything is functioning properly. Once the water is flowing, search for any more leaks. For a standard tap, the optimal components are washer/o-ring, stem or cartridge, packing nut, screw, and tap head or handle.

When To Call The Professionals - Dripping Tap

When to Call the Professionals

It is not considered a plumbing emergency if the water is merely dripping and is contained to trickle down your sink without posing any immediate threat. You may always hire a licenced plumber to fix the leaky tap for you if you are unable to do it yourself.

The general plumbing system of your house or company is put under unnecessary stress by leaking taps. You can be responsible for any resulting damages if you rent a property and fail to alert your realtor or landlord as soon as you discover a problem.

If you're a homeowner and you let the tap leak, you may have one or more sorts of water damage, which will always cost more than getting a qualified plumber to fix your leaky tap for good. Tap water that leaks might be harmful to your health.

For instance, water can spill down cabinets and walls, creating damp areas perfect for the growth of mould. Mouldy environments contain mycotoxins, harmful pollutants. These mycotoxins are bad for anyone with allergies and asthma. 

Due to this, it is important to fix any leaky taps in your house before they have an adverse effect on your health; at this point, it's heavily advised to call the professionals and fix your tap problems.

Do you require pluming repair or servicing? We offer plumber services to both domestic and commercial customers Uppingham, Oakham, Stamford and Rutland. Our charges are highly competitive and realistic. If you are experiencing problems with your plumbing - Please contact us.