According to the Plumbing Manufacturers International website, 10 percent of the homes in the United States have leaks. And they waste 90 gallons or more of water per day. What’s more, the average U.S. household wastes more than 10,000 gallons of water annually, equal to 270 loads of laundry. And homes in Boca Raton are no exception. One way of ensuring you aren’t wasting water is to use WaterSense products in your home and yard, which verifies that you’re meeting the Environmental Protection Agency’s strict standards. The other is to complete a plumbing repair as soon as you suspect or notice a problem. Here are three signs to look for.
RUNNING TOILET
While a clogged toilet is inconvenient, especially if you’ve noticed it upon rushing to the bathroom, you can usually fix the blockage with a plunger. A running toilet, on the other hand, will continue wasting water if you don’t repair it. The constant hum of a running toilet might also annoy you if it’s nearby.
Here are three of the most common reasons for a running toilet.
LEAKING REFILL TUBE
After you flush your toilet, the refill tube replaces the water that has been drained out of the bowl. If the refill tube has a leak or has been dislodged, the bowl won’t fill up properly and the toilet will continue to run.
To check if the refill tube is properly working, simply open the tank and make sure it reaches and drains into the overflow tube. If it doesn’t, you’ll need to repair this component.
ISSUES WITH THE FILL VALVE
The fill valve’s purpose is to prevent the toilet from overflowing. Various toilets use different mechanisms as the fill valve.
For example, some toilets use a float device that’s lowered until it activates the fill valve and returns to its normal height. Other toilets use a cylinder that moves up and down to activate the fill valve. To avoid a constantly running toilet, avoid setting the fill height too low.
FLAPPER WON’T SEAL
The flapper is a rubber piece in the tank that opens to drain water out of the toilet and seals to allow the tank to refill. If the toilet flapper doesn’t seal properly, your toilet will continue to run as if it’s refilling. If the flapper’s chain is too short, it won’t be able to close completely and will also cause your toilet to always run.
KNOCKING PIPES
Although faint rustling noises coming from behind your walls might signal a termite infestation, knocking pipes are a completely different problem. If you hear pipes knock after you flush the toilet, once the washing machine finishes filling or when the sprinkler system turns off, water hammer is likely the cause.
Water hammer happens when a water valve suddenly shuts off. The flowing water crashes into the valve, shakes the pipes and creates a knocking noise. In some instances, water hammer can shake pipes from their joints and cause leaks.
If you own a home in Boca Raton, Florida, that was built before the 1960s, you’ll need to drain all the water out of its plumbing and refill it. If your home was built after the 1960s, you should have a professional plumber install water hammer arrestors in it, which are spring-loaded devices that most modern homes have.
LOW WATER PRESSURE
If you turn on a faucet and only a little water trickles out of it, your home has low water pressure. If you have hard water — which is common in Boca Raton, Florida — residue can collect on older pipes and lead to lower water pressure. Remove your faucet aerator and clean the deposits on it. If you still have low water pressure, you’ll need a professional plumber to inspect your home for the cause.
OTHER CAUSES FOR LOW WATER PRESSURE
- Clogged pipes
- Serious structural leak
- Improperly sized pipes
- Water supply issue
If you notice any one of the aforementioned problems in your Boca Raton, FL, home and need a professional to complete the plumbing repair, contact Hi-Tech Plumbing, Air & Electrical at (561) 220-3107 . With over 18 years of experience and 24/7 emergency plumbing services, you can count on our service technicians to rescue your family from drowning in stress and discomfort.