Picture this: you notice a minor trickle of water draining from one of the pipes in your home. It’s not enough to be a huge nuisance, and you don’t feel like covering the unexpected expense of an emergency pipe repair at the moment. What’s the harm in ignoring the issue for a while?
Avoid the urge! Leaky pipes may seem innocuous, but every drip can add up to massive damage over time. Even worse, ignoring the issue can sometimes lead the leak to grow, causing bigger headaches like burst pipes or serious floods.
If you’re on the fence about calling an expert for help with your pipe leak, make sure you’re aware of the damage these issues can cause. Here’s what to know about the dangers of ignoring a leaky pipe.
Property Damage
One of the biggest and most obvious risks of leaky pipes is property damage. As one of the most common plumbing issues around, leaking water may seem like a minor nuisance, but enough of it pooling in the wrong place can have massive side effects!
Water Damage
Water pouring from a leaking or burst pipe can cause damage to any nearby belongings. Waterlogged furniture, artwork, carpets and flooring, electronics, documents, and other crucial items are in serious danger from the moment your home springs a leak.
Structural Damage
If enough water seeps into your home’s foundation, you may have to worry about far worse things than the loss of a few belongings. Over time, leaking water can cause the ground to shift or weaken the foundation of your home. This can cause buckling ceilings, cracked walls, sagging floors, and other forms of structural damage to your property.
Electrical Hazards
Depending on where your leak develops, you might be looking at a higher risk of electrical hazards around any exposed connections. In addition to creating a serious health concern, this can sometimes lead to sparks and a higher risk of home fires.
Mold Growth
Mold is a constant threat whenever enough moisture is present in an enclosed space. If you have a persistent leak in your home, even if that leak is somewhere out of the way, it could create an environment that invites mold.
This persistent threat grows faster than you might think. It can also be incredibly difficult to remove from your property, as even a few airborne spores can spread to new areas before you can get the mold out. In many cases, homeowners have to seek dedicated mold remediation services to keep this unwanted guest at bay.
Pest Infestations
Most pests love finding a comfortable nook with water nearby, so any leaking pipes in your home can become an invitation that rodents and insects won’t want to miss. Worse, water can weaken the structure of your home, making it easy for pests to find their way indoors. Once they’re inside, they may wreak havoc by chewing wires, gnawing holes, leaving droppings, and otherwise damaging your property.
Health Effects
In addition to the damaging risks of leaky pipes, there are also health concerns to worry about.
Mold, Mildew, and Fungal Growth
Mold and mildew growth won’t just affect your property; it can also hurt your well-being.
At a minimum, breathing in mold spores can irritate the nose and throat. Many people also notice itchy or red eyes as well as frequent sneezing and coughing. In many cases, these symptoms make it difficult to fall or stay asleep at night.
If enough of these unwanted substances build up in your home, the side effects may start to get more severe. This is especially true if anyone in your household has allergies or respiratory conditions. Fatigue, congestion, and difficulty breathing can happen with more serious reactions.
Direct contact with mold-covered surfaces can cause skin irritation as well. For this reason, it’s crucial to be careful when trying to clear away mold. This task is often best left to the pros.
Additional Health Concerns
Though mold-related issues are the most obvious cause for concern with a leaky pipe, some of the problems we’ve already mentioned can become problematic too.
Wet electrical connections, for example, can create a risk of electric shock for anyone in the area. If you’re unlucky enough to deal with a pest infestation, many critters can bring various diseases into your home.
Financial Damage
Last, but not least, leaking pipes can cause financial damage to your bottom line.
If nothing else, a leak will always create a higher water bill. Depending on the size of your leak, you may be wasting anywhere from a few extra to a few hundred extra gallons of water every week. Those tiny drips can add up when you get your monthly utility bill!
Damaged or destroyed belongings and flooring can be expensive to replace. With a bad leak, you may have to pay thousands to rip out waterlogged materials and replace them with new ones. Worse, a single leak anywhere on your property can cause water to run elsewhere, creating more extensive damage with every second that your pipe continues to drip.
If the leak is bad enough to require mold and water damage remediation, you’ll pay anywhere from around $1,000-3,000. For more extensive damage and more invasive mold species, you may have to shell out even more.
Leaks that damage your home’s foundation can be even worse for your wallet. Depending on your home’s size and the extent of the damage, you could pay several thousand dollars for a fix, which will often be an invasive project that lasts days or even weeks.
Get Pipe Repair Services Today
Here’s the bottom line: there’s no good reason to ignore a leaky pipe. Though it may be tempting to assume that out of sight means out of mind, even a minor unseen leak can cause extensive damage throughout your property. Speedy plumbing service means protecting your home, health, and budget from frustrating damages.
That’s where our team comes in. Here at Progressive Heating, Air and Plumbing, our skilled technicians are proud to offer Newnan, Peachtree City, Palmetto, and Senoia, GA pipe repair services around the clock. When you need fast and dependable services, contact us online or call our team at (770) 692-4138 to schedule an appointment.