Bob Condon
Jul 20, 20222 min
When you think of plumbing emergencies, you may think of burst pipes or a blocked sewer main leading to a backup and water in your basement up to your knees. The number one emergency call is related to the relatively benign problem of a leaky faucet.
A leaky faucet can be annoying, especially if you can hear the dripping from another room while trying to sleep. A leaky faucet might not seem like it reaches the threshold of being an emergency, but something as simple as a leaky faucet can lead to serious issues down the road if it is not taken care of.
On Long Island, many of the houses are approaching the 75-year mark, and you would be surprised at how many things in these houses are still the original equipment that came with the house. In many cases, even if the equipment is not original, the last time significant renovations were done was in the 70s, which despite the denial of Gen Xers, means the last time a significant change was made to their homes was about 50 years ago.
When it comes to faucets, the washers that stop the water from running when the tap is closed wear out over time, or they collect particles from the water, so when the faucet is closed, the washer doesn’t create a good seal, and water continues to get through causing a leak. If the leak drips into the sink, the worst part is the dripping sound, but the water goes down the drain. Water will often leak out of the faucet and, instead of going down the drain, migrates, getting walls and floors wet in the kitchen or bathroom and the rooms or areas below where the leak is.
While a leaky faucet might not seem like an emergency, serious problems will soon follow once water gets onto the walls and floors. Water damage can lead to ruining drywall, staining, and destroying the ceiling below the room where the problem is. Water can also quickly lead to mold and rust, which can be a very costly problem to fix.
The other problem, especially when the cost of everything seems to be rising, is that a leaky faucet can lead to a serious rise in your water bill. In a typical leak, there can be up to 10 drops of water per minute. While each drop doesn’t seem like much, by the end of the day, you are looking at more than a gallon of water. A serious leak can waste more than 10 gallons of water per day. That all adds up to serious money being paid to the water company.
In most cases, a leaky faucet won’t raise the level of needing to call a plumber in the middle of the night for an expensive emergency call, but you should also not ignore the problem and get your leaky faucets fixed or replaced as soon as possible.