By Art Emiss
The most common types of water leaks in a home can be avoided by simple maintenance. Home maintenance is very important to prevent water leaks whether it is the exterior of your home or a simple dripping faucet in the Kitchen. A water leak can cause visible and hidden mold if you do not have a Home Maintenance Program.
Recently, I personally had to deal with a toilet leak from the water hose going to the toilet tank. This hose was five years old and it looked fine until I looked closer and saw fine droplets of water starting to come out of the edge of the compression fitting. Wow, got lucky this time and am very grateful it did not get a chance to develop into a serious flood. Checking your toilet water supply hose is important because of this factor. You would not believe how many floods we have been on in the last 15 years caused by the same type of hose. Cost to replace $6.79 in Home Depot. Cost of a flood, thousands in your home.
The three most common sources of water leaks in homes are the following:
1. Washing Machine Hoses
2. Water Heaters
3. Shower Leaks Due to The Cracked Grout.
The good news about these is they can be prevented by simple maintenance. Common sense tells us to develop a Maintenance Schedule to check these things out on a regular basis. The smart thing is to check these items once a month. After you read this article, I would highly recommend you check them all. It is easy to check a pipe but a flood can cause havoc in your life and the effects are expensive.
Do not think just because you have Homeowners Insurance that you can become complacent. Yes, they will take care of the problem but the aggravation is not worth it. Ask anyone who has ever had a flood in their home if they would ever want to do it again. Remember, you also have a deductible.
There are new types of hoses available that are a braided metal which are tougher than the original equipment that was installed. I personally installed that new type of hose on my toilet. The manufacturer says the pipes cannot burst and cause a flood. The cheaper hoses were $3.49 and the better quality were $6.79. I bought the better quality because of the guarantee. I would suggest you change your hoses immediately if they are over 5 years of age. Remember, the chlorine in the water will start to eat away at the inner liner of the hoses. It is better to be safe than sorry.
The grout of the shower is easy to spot when it starts to crack if you take the time to look. This type of leak can cause serious hidden damage that can cost you thousands of dollars to fix. The average shower replacement is $5,000 and up. A tube of good quality caulk is about $2.50 at Home Depot or Lowes. If you do not know how to caulk, both of these firms have classes on the weekend. Check with the manager of the store to find out when the next class is.
A Hot Water Heater leak is hard to detect early. If you see rust on the bottom of the heater, start thinking about replacing it. I had to replace mine about two years ago, saw the rust but was too slow to replace it. It was fine one day, came home from work and there was water on the Garage Floor from the leak. The fortunate thing was it was located in the garage. It could have been much more serious had it been in my house. I also installed a drain pan under the Hot Water Heater with a drain line to the exterior just to be sure next time.
In conclusion, check your water hoses on the toilet and washing machine once a month. I would also recommend checking the Hot Water Heater at the same time. There are water leak alarms you can put below the toilet in the back and Hot Water Heater that sounds off if they sense water in the area. I would recommend getting one for each location in your home. The grout can be checked each time you take a shower. Just look, you will be surprised how easy it is to do this type of maintenance. Remember, No Moisture No Mold.
To learn more about your home, visit our website at http://www.safe-homes.com
Mr. Art Emiss is available as a professional speaker to help educate your community or group function.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Art_Emiss
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Recommended Reading
- Water Heater problems
- Is It Time to Replace My Water Heater?
- Steps on How to Do Water Heater Leak Repair
- Water Heater Leak Repairs – Some Common Mistakes to Avoid When Repairing Leaks
- Some Precautions and Remedial Measures If Your Water Heater’s Leaking Water
- Water heater leaking
- 5 Tips to Save Your Home From Water Damage
- Installing Your Own Water Heater
- Must-Remember Facts When Thinking of How to Fix a Leaking Hot Water Heater
- What You Can do Whenever You Find Your Hot Water Heater Leaking
- Is Your Hot Water Heater Leaking?
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