The Risks of Putting Off Plumbing Repairs

If you know that you have a plumbing problem in your house, you should get on to fixing it as soon as possible. But if you think about it, it’s easy to understand why people choose to rather not think about the risks of putting off plumbing repairs. Most of the time, the problem isn’t that obvious, and in the beginning, it doesn’t change your life dramatically. However, you can be sure that it will get worse with time. And the longer you wait, the more extensive and costly the repair will be.

Keep in mind that the time frame in which you need to work here is specific. No one can tell you how long you have until the water starts dripping from your living room ceiling without a check-up. However, you can be sure that it won’t be years before it happens.

Look at it this way. If you put off painting a room for a year, you’ll get no consequences besides it looking a bit dingy during that time. But if a small leak turns into a full-on broken pipe, you’re in for heaps of problems. So don’t fall for plumbing myths, and call a professional as soon as you notice the issue. And to explain why this is the way to do it, here are some of the risks you should know about.

Leaks

Leaks are one of the most common plumbing problems, and they’re the ones that people put off most often. But that’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make. You see, there’s a reason why homeowner’s insurance policies cover flooding. If it happens to you, you might lose everything. And when we say it, we mean it. Your walls, floors, furniture, personal items can all be gone in under an hour if the worst happens.

But that’s not the only bad thing bound to happen if you choose to go down this way. There are many more problems leaks can cause over a long period, so let’s see what those are.

Most of the risks of putting off plumbing repairs come from leaks. 

Water Waste

We get it why a drippy faucet or a leaky pipe might be the least of your worries right now, but it’s affecting your life without you even knowing. Just one faucet that drips once a second will waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year. Not only are you wasting so much water, but your bill is also 10-20% higher each month because of it. When you don’t fix little things like this, you’re essentially throwing money away.

And with the help of your water bill, you can even spot the ”invisible” plumbing problems. If your bill goes up, but your habits stay the same, there’s a leak you don’t know about somewhere. That’s why you should always check the bills for as long back as you can before you move into a new home, as well as inspect all the faucets and plumbing installations. You’ll be able to make sure everything is in good condition if there are no irregularities in them.

Mold and Mildew Growth

It’s not a surprise that leaks do a lot more damage than just the one to your water bill. But the biggest of the risks of putting off plumbing repairs is the one to your family’s health. If you have a lot of moisture around the toilet, tub, or sink, you can expect mold and mildew to start showing up.

As we all know, these can lead to respiratory problems and irritate the eyes, throat, and skin. Some people are more affected by it than others, but, believe us, you have no reason to test your tolerance. And if you or anyone else in your family deals with a chronic illness, don’t play with fire and call a plumber as soon as possible if you notice any of the signs that something isn’t right with your plumbing. Medical bills and procedures will be a lot scarier than what the plumber has to do, so it’s obvious what you should pick.

And even if health isn’t what you’re concerned about, know that mold causes wood to rot. If you have a leaky pipe in your wall, it may affect the structural integrity of your home. Once the structural wooden beams start rotting, there’s nothing you can do but to rebuild that part of the house. It’s not something you want to leave up to chance.

Mold and mildew can bring you problems with health and with the structural integrity of your house. 

Major Plumbing Repairs

If you ignore them for too long, minor plumbing issues will grow bigger and bigger. We’ve all seen small leaks turning into trickles, but that’s far from the worst that can happen. There are cases of clogs building up so much that they eventually cause a pipe to burst. And we don’t have to explain how big of a problem that is.

Moreover, serious plumbing issues do come with higher chances of sewage backup. Of course, it can happen and be unrelated to any other problem, but it can also be a sign of something much more severe going on. If that’s the case, and you leave it untreated, you might be looking at a full-fledged sewage backup some time in the future. And that’s not a risk we’d recommend anyone to take.

DIY Repairs Might Cost You More

If you’re not a stranger to tools, you might get tempted into finicking around the pipes on your own. However, that might not be the best idea. We’ve seen plenty of horror stories and even wrote about the biggest dangers of DIY plumbing projects. Sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and you end up biting a lot more than you can chew. 

You start doing it by yourself, and then halfway through, you realize that you can’t finish what you started. Now, your only option is to call a professional to bring the project to a close. And, of course, it will cost you more since you didn’t call them when you should.

When it comes to plumbing, DIY repairs are rarely a good idea.