Leaky faucets are one common reason Birmingham area homeowners Call Douglas’ Douglas Cooling & Heating for help. This simple plumbing issue leads to serious water waste and creates a potential for water damage in your home. Learn common causes as well as why you never want to ignore this issue. Get help with leaky faucets today!
Common Causes of Leaky Faucets
- Worn-out O-ring
- Valve seat corrosion
- Bad washer
- Bad seals
- Loose components
- Broken pipes
Leaky faucets are caused by many different issues, within the fixture or your plumbing system. We share insight into a few common causes to help with leaky faucets around your home:
Worn-out O-ring
The faucet O-ring is a small disc attached to the stem screw which holds the faucet in place. If the O-ring is worn out or otherwise damaged, leaks occur at the faucet’s handle. It’s common for O-rings to wear out from normal fixture use and eventually need replacement.
Valve seat corrosion
The valve seat sits between the faucet and spout. Sediment from water often accumulates here and causes corrosion in the component. This results in leaks around the faucet’s spout. The valve seat should be cleaned regularly to prevent corrosion.
If you’re not sure how to do this, schedule a plumbing inspection and service visit with a licensed plumber. He or she can handle it and or show you how to do it.
These service visits are a great time to ask questions and learn more about how to maintain your plumbing fixtures. Regular plumbing maintenance goes a long way to prevent major plumbing repairs or replacements.
Toilet running? Toilet gurgles? Funny smell from a drain? They may seem like no big deal, but it’s best to get in front of small problems before they become big ones.
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Bad washer
Each time you use a faucet, the washer pushes against the valve seat. This results in friction and over time wears out the washer. This causes leaks around the faucet spout in a compression-style faucet, which requires replacement. Washer replacement is a common DIY project. Just be sure the washer is correctly installed and the right size, otherwise the leak continues.
Bad seals
Water inlet and outlet seals are also subject to corrosion from sediment buildup, which results in leaks.
Loose components
The packing nuts in the stem screw have a tendency to loosen over time. This results in leaks at the faucet handle. To stop the leak, it helps to tighten or replace this component.
Broken pipes
Leaks underneath your sink are commonly caused by loose fittings or broken pipes. This often happens when items stored below the sink strike against the plumbing components. Pipes also break during periods of overnight temperature drops, even in Alabama.
Help with Leaky Faucets – DIY or Call a Pro?
Many Birmingham area homeowners are comfortable performing plumbing repairs on their own, but others are not, and that’s okay! Just remember, when you replace a faucet component, the new component must be properly placed and the fixture correctly reassembled. If not, water leaks persist.
While some Birmingham homeowners love to tackle the challenge of a DIY plumbing project, don’t feel you have to. For many of us, if a task requires special knowledge, certain tools and will take twice the time it takes a professional, it’s worth calling for plumbing repairs. After all, a leaky faucet is a repair plumbers do all the time!
Why You Need Help with Leaky Faucets
Most Birmingham homeowners are unaware of the waste and impact of leaky faucets. Sure, a small, slow drip doesn’t seem like a big issue. When ignored, however, it has the potential to waste thousands of gallons of water over time. One drip per second leads to over 3,000 gallons of water wasted from a faucet over a year. That’s the equivalent of more than 180 showers!
Need Help with Leaky Faucets? Call Douglas Today!
Douglas Cooling & Heating is here to help with leaky faucets and any other plumbing issues around your Birmingham area home. We get to work to solve your leaky faucet problems, which restores plumbing fixture performance and limits water waste in your home.
Our team of licensed plumbers assists with water heater installation, water heater repairs, water filtration systems, slow or clogged drains, sewer line clogs, hydro-jetting, as well as toilet and garbage disposal issues. We also offer emergency services, so if a water leak is causing damage or you have an overflow, call us right away. We’re here for you!
Our team travels throughout the Birmingham area, including Bessemer, Hoover, Homewood, Calera, Mountain Brook, Pelham, Helena, Vestavia Hills, and Chelsea. So don’t let that drip or plumbing problem continue – call Douglas Cooling & Heating today to schedule plumbing repair!
