A water leak in your home can have disastrous consequences, especially if it’s left unchecked. While it may seem at first to just be an annoying drip or a patch of damp, unaddressed water leaks can quickly morph into the sort of nightmare that destroys ceilings, walls and more.
This can cause problems of lots of different types, ranging from the aesthetic to the financial. But what should you do if you have a water leak? When’s the right time to call a plumber for a water leak, and what can you do to stop water leaks from happening? This blog post will help you find out.
Can You Stop The Water Flow, Safely and Quickly?
In some cases, it’s possible for you to identify where the source of the leak is. If you come home to your apartment and find a bath-sized patch on your ceiling, for example, you may want to head upstairs to ask your neighbours if they may have left the bath overflowing.
Other water leak situations, though, aren’t so simple and easy to find – and in those cases, you should only attempt to fix the leaks if two conditions are satisfied. Firstly, you need to make sure that you can access the leak quickly. If it’s going to take you hours and hours to get to it, it’s best to call a plumber who may well be able to expedite the process and get to it more quickly than you can.
And it’s also important to think about safety, too. The main thing is your own personal safety. If your water leak involves any sort of possible clash with electricity, for example, you should steer well clear and get a professional in. But you should also consider the safety of your fixtures and fittings. If you’re not 100% sure about how to adjust a valve, remove a washer or tighten something up, you’ll need to speak to a pro.
The Risks Of An Unchecked Water Leak
In order to make your decision about whether or not to call out a plumber, you should first be sure that you understand the full breadth of the possible risks involved.
Water leaks can cause serious structural damage to a property. Ceilings and floorboards are often designed to withstand some trauma, but they won’t last forever. It sounds like a nightmare, but it’s not unheard of for entire ceilings to fall through during a bad leak.
Pipes, meanwhile, can also become damaged during a leak or overflow – and they can be costly to replace. And that’s not to mention the aesthetic aspect. If you’ve just redecorated, for example, it’s not worth the risk of putting all that hard work in jeopardy if a trickle appears along one wall.
Water leaks can also damage your and your family’s health. Prolonged exposure to damp can lead to or exacerbate respiratory problems like asthma, which in the long run could cause serious effects. While this may not seem like a realistic risk during a few days of damp walls, you may be surprised just how many people fail to deal with water leaks until it’s far too late. The health aspect, then, is just one more reason to rip off the plaster and call a plumber now if you have a water leak.
Why The Professionals Are Often Best
Calling a plumber shouldn’t be the last resort. Instead, it should be something that you should consider from the outset.
No matter what your plumbing problem might be, a professional has seen it all before. They’ll have the tool needed to do the job on hand in their van, so you won’t have to waste precious time during a water leak going to a DIY shop or ordering online. And they’ll also be trained and insured, so the likelihood of something going wrong – and the risk in the unlikely event that it does – is much lower.
It’s wise to be certain that the plumber you’re calling out is a reputable one – and not a cowboy or a scammer. It’s worth reading some reviews on their website and seeing whether there are any video testimonials attesting to their service quality. Google Reviews are also a good place to look given that they often feature summaries from customers.
Conclusion
Overall, it’s down to you as the homeowner to make the judgement call about when it’s appropriate to call a plumber on a water leak. As a rough rule of thumb, it’s worth trying to fix the leak provided you can do that quickly and without damaging either yourself or your fixtures and fittings. If you can’t ensure both of those outcomes, however, it may be time to consult the experts and call in a qualified and reputable plumber.
We’re more than happy to help in the event of a water leak at your home here at Endpoint Plumbing. Just contact us with details of your issue.