There are a lot of different plumbing issues that you may find yourself dealing with over the years. Some of them are big, attention grabbing, and damaging. Others are more subtle, and may go months or years without being noticed. Regardless, though, if you want to protect your plumbing system it’s recommended that you be able to catch plumbing problems as early as possible.
Now, ideally you should be scheduling plumbing maintenance to make sure that your system is kept in proper shape. This will also allow your plumber to find and fix problems you didn’t even know you had. However, you should also be familiar with some warning signs that indicate a need for repairs.
Water Damage
Most of the plumbing issues that we deal with are related to water damage, which is why you should be so quick to call for repairs if you spot some somewhere in your home. There are many different kinds of plumbing issues that could cause water damage, with leaks of various kinds being the most common. If you are noticing water damage on your walls, floor, or ceiling, then it’s too late to stop the damage entirely. If you act fast, though, you can stop it from getting worse.
Lime Scale
Lime scale is the result of hard water, a common condition throughout the country in which the water entering the home has very high magnesium and calcium content. As the lime scale deposits build up in the pipes, they begin to restrict the flow of water. Eventually, the water flowing through the pipes will be reduced to a trickle. Lime scale also hardens, so if it isn’t caught in time it can become impossible to remove without replacing the entire affected pipe.
The way to detect lime scale early is to look at your faucet, bath tub, or shower for signs of a white, squamous substance. That’s lime scale, and if it’s present in other areas that are exposed to water from your plumbing, you can bet it’s in the pipes too. Installing a water softener can prevent lime scale from occurring at all, but having a plumber flush out the system will get rid of the immediate problem.
Unusually High Water Bills
This is another fairly easy way to detect if you have a leak in your home. The more water you use from month to month, the higher your water bills are going to get (obviously). But, what does it mean when your water bills suddenly start to go up despite you not using enough water to warrant it? Well, that tends to mean that there’s water still leaving the system without your knowledge (a leak).
Another way to confirm this is to turn off all the plumbing systems in your home and look at the water meter. If the meter is still running, you almost certainly have a leak in your plumbing system somewhere. You should call for repairs just to make sure.
Performance Plumbing offers plumbing repair services in St. Charles, MO. Contact us today for an appointment.