Do It Yourself - Repair Leaking Pipes
By David Parish
Pipe leakage is a common problem in the majority of the households. There are various reasons for it, discovering which we may or may not be able to fix is the problem; most solutions revolve around changing the pipes or things of that nature. But this may costs extra money, as good as paying the plumber and getting it done.
Then how do we fix pipes? , The only way a pipe can be actually fixed is by intellect. Use your knowledge to do so. Try and figure out the problem yourself and then try and fix it .First step in checking if the water pipes are leaking or not relies on the checking process, where every faucet, house bib and showers in and out of the house are tested to discover the problem. It includes dishwasher, washing-machines, appliances etc.
While you are shutting off all your fixtures, make sure that there are not any drippy faucets, and that your toilets are not making any strange noises, for this will not allow you to get an accurate reading of the situation. If you have a drippy faucet, or noisy toilet you should repair it immediately and do this test afterwards. A noisy toilet is a toilet that is continually making strange noise when it is not being used. Now remove the meter lid and expose the meter so you could see the numbers. (It is very important that you replace the lid to the water meter every time you walk away from it because someone walking bye can step in it and hurt themselves).
Turn on the building shut off valve to your house only. This will get water to your house system and pressurize it again, give it about 15 minutes to refill the pipes. In the meantime, go through your house sink faucets, and turn off all the angle stops which are located in your sink cabinets. You are just double checking yourself at this point. By the time you are done shutting off all the angle stops to your sink faucets, the system is full usually. Also, shut off the valves to your washer machine hot and cold water, and the refrigerator water line if you have and ice maker. Check your meter again. If the meter is stopped at this point you have a problem somewhere between your shut offs and your faucets.
This is the final step I could share with you. Go to your water heater and turn off the cold valve. The cold water line feeds the right inlet to the water heater and is marked with a "C" for cold. Now you are isolating the hot from the cold. If the meter stops at this point there is obviously a serious problem with your hot water system. If it does not stop there is a problem with the cold water system. At this point, there is a possibility for a slab leak in your underground water lines, you should call a plumber.
About the Author: This article was written by David Parish. In this article David covers the process of repairing leaking pipes on your own. If you are interested in getting some professional pipe work done, David recommends visiting Floodright.com because of their professional expertise in
Brookline Water Damage and
Charlestown Water Damage clean up and repair.
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www.isnare.com
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