Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Blog

Careful of These Plumbing Problems

water-handsPlumbing problems can be difficult to spot, since they often occur out of view of the homeowner. Add to that the fact that most plumbing issues start out too small to give off recognizable symptoms, and it’s no wonder that so many people don’t realize that they’re having plumbing issues until something more extreme happens. If you want to keep your plumbing system in the best possible shape, though, it’s a pretty good idea to catch problems as early as you can. How can you do that? Preventive maintenance is the best way, but it’s not the only way to catch problems with your plumbing system. If you know what to look for, you can at least confirm a problem with your system to the point where you know you need a professional to take a look at it for you. Have a look at some of the indications that you have some sort of issue with your plumbing system.

Lime Scale

Lime scale forms as the result of a surface being exposed to hard water, which is just water with a lot of magnesium and calcium particles in it. While the particles are not harmful to your health, they can cause quite a few problems for your plumbing system. As the mineral deposits build up in the pipes, they restrict the flow of water through the system more and more. Eventually, the deposits harden and become near-impossible to remove without having to replace the entire pipe section. The way you can tell if your pipes are afflicted with lime scale is by checking your bathtub and other areas that frequently are exposed to water from your plumbing system. If you see mineral deposits in those areas, they are almost certainly in your pipes as well.

Leaks

Leaks are a very common problem for plumbing systems across the country. Some leaks are too small to be detected without professional equipment, or until they’ve inflicted enough water damage to the surrounding area that they’re hard to miss. If you want to detect leaks early, though, one thing you can do is turn off all plumbing appliances in the home and then have a look at your water meter. If the meter is not running anymore, then you likely don’t have to worry about any leaks in your system. If the water meter is still running, though, then you should call a professional to examine the system for you.

You also should make sure that you monitor your monthly water bills. If your bills suddenly start to rise beyond what you think your usage that month would account for, it’s possible that you have a leak in the system that’s driving up the cost. The only way to know for certain is to have a professional examine the system, though.

Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing provides comprehensive plumbing repair services in Gaithersburg, MD. If you need plumbing repair services of any kind, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our expert plumbers.