3 Most Common Causes of Water Leaks in Your Home.

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Water leaks in your home are serious. Leaks can cause damage to your home’s structure, lead to wasted water and can result in mold growth if left unfixed. The presence of a leak may go overlooked because you can’t see most of your pipework.

Common causes for water leaks in homes include:

1. Broken Appliance Seals

Broken seals, from appliances, are common. The appliance may be worn and old, or the installer may have installed the appliance improperly. In either case, the seals that go around the water connection may be bad.

Dishwasher door seals may also cause a problem.

Appliance age and wear happen naturally, so this is a potential leak waiting to happen in all homes. Key signs of a leak due to appliances include:

·         Water puddles

·         Condensation

Here’s the good news: Seals can be replaced.

2. Damaged Pipe Joints

Pipe joints are the “weakest link.” These points in a pipe line often start to deteriorate and start leaking. Homeowners often don’t know that they have a joint leak because they can’t see the joint. There’s also the risk of the joint being underground or in the walls.  There are many experts in the underground locator in your area.

Replacing the joint may be difficult, or sewer pipe lining techniques can be employed to stop the leak.

The best way to prepare for a potential leak is to have a plumber come out annually and inspect the plumbing system. A plumber will be able to detect problems that the untrained homeowner cannot.

3. Dreaded Tree Roots

Tree roots can intrude your pipe, and this causes leaks outside of the home rather than in the home. The key sign of tree roots in your pipes is moisture that is seeping into your yard. Sink holes or even wet patches in the yard are also a clear sign of tree roots in the plumbing system.

Trees growing very close to the home may also pose a risk.

You may also experience a sudden drop in water pressure. Mechanical or chemical methods can be used to put an end to tree roots. Mechanical methods include an auger that is sent into the pipes to cut through the tree roots.

The auger will cut the roots out, but the damage to the pipes will have already been done. There is also the risk that the roots will grow back. Invasive roots will need to be removed, and the pipes may need to then be repaired, too.

Plumbers will need to help with the removal and pipe work required.