Have you ever experienced a loose plumbing fixture in your house? Yes, that irritating sound coming from your house wall! When plumbing fixtures in your house loosen, you are likely to experience more extensive problems depending on how fast you handle the issue.
Leaks waste water and damage walls, ceilings, and floors. Even worse, wet areas attract mold growth, which is a disaster to your household. Sometimes, it’s hard to detect a leak because the plumbing is hidden in walls. The best way to ensure that you don’t have leaks due to loosened pipes is to regularly check areas where you suspect a leak can happen.
This blog discusses the reasons plumbing fixtures become loose over time, their effects, and prevention. Let’s get started.
Broken Pipe Seals
When installing all plumbing fixtures, contractors put a seal around the pipes. However, with time, the seals get worn out, and they might break. You notice there is a problem when you see moisture or condensation buildup around the piping joint.
Corrosion
Most plumbing joints are made of metal, which ages with time and starts corroding. When you notice an abnormal buildup of brownish substances, contact your plumber in Sacramento to assess the situation and recommend the best corrective measures before it’s too late. Pipes may corrode because of poor quality, but they also corrode when they get older and have been exposed to water for a long time.
Clogged Water Lines
Clogged lines prevent water from flowing as intended, therefore creating backward pressure, which causes pipes to burst. When the pipes are clogged, the increased pressure loosens up the once-tightened fixture joints, causing leaks if not attended to.
Broken Water Pipe Joints
The weakest point in your plumbing fixtures is where the pipes join. Whether under pressure or not, piping joints deteriorate over time of service and cause severe leaks if not replaced.
Since most of these joints are inside your home’s walls, it’s difficult to detect a leak. However, when you hear your water system making some funny noise when in use, it’s a sign of a problem with your piping.
Contact a plumber to assess the situation. You can always do this once a year to ensure your plumbing fixtures are in good condition.
Increased Water Pressure
Water pressure can break through a wall! Thus, it’s capable of loosening up once-tightened plumbing fixtures. There is a recommended level of water pressure that standard house plumbing can withstand. When increased, it loosens the connections on pipes and later causes leaks. It’s advisable to have your water pressure checked by a plumber when you notice a change in your plumbing function.
Fast Temperature Change
Changes in temperature cause pipes to expand and contract very fast, which causes wear and tear on the plumbing system. Pipes may break or crack, and the joints loosen up with time.
Pipes break when exposed to freezing air. It’s thus essential to keep an eye on your plumbing fixtures to ensure that you notice any issues before they damage your pipes, which can be expensive to repair or replace.
Effects of Loose Plumbing Fixtures
Loose plumbing has several effects on your house. Besides increased water bills, there are other effects of loose plumbing fixtures over time.
1. Leakages
Loose plumbing fixtures are the leading cause of leaks if not attended to on time. Loose pipes will slowly leak in your walls for days or months without your knowledge since they are undetectable until the damage is evident.
A loose pipe that is leaking can lead to mold growth, which poses a risk to your and your family’s health. Further leakages can cause structural damage to your house, costing you a lot of money to fix the problem.
2. Decreased Water Pressure
When you notice decreased pressure when flushing your toilet or showering, it’s time to contact Huft Home Services to make necessary corrections to your plumbing system. Low water pressure can make it difficult to shower and take care of household chores.
3. Drainage Issues
Loose plumbing can also lead to drainage issues. Every time you shower or do the dishes, some of the water that is supposed to drain into sewer pipes outside of the house will leak. As mentioned, these leaks inside your walls are hard to detect and can lead to numerous issues.
4. Expenses
While loose piping secretly leaks water for months, water bills continue rising without you identifying the cause. Paying attention to your utility bill will help you detect changes before they become severe.
In addition to causing an increase in your water bill, loose pipes and plumbing fixtures can also lead to issues that are expensive to repair. Issues such as structural damage and mold growth can be costly to remedy.
How to Prevent Loose Plumbing Fixtures Over Time
While loose plumbing fixtures may go undetected for months, you may take measures to ensure that your pipes don’t leak. The following covers some of the ways to prevent plumbing problems.
1. Don’t Strip the Joints
Every pipe connection consists of threads that allow a firm connection between the pipes. When you tighten these connections, the threads become worn out and will no longer connect firmly with the pipe. Over tightening these pipes increases the risk for leaks, which you can avoid by connecting slowly but firmly.
2. Tightening by Hand is Right
Tightening plumbing doesn’t always require tools. When you over tighten a connection using tools, you risk damaging the pipes. In most cases, hand tightening is all that is required to connect plumbing fixtures. In addition to avoiding plumbing damage, hand tightening also ensures that your water flows freely.
3. Tighten Towards the Right Direction
When joining two pipes, turning to the right tightens the connection while turning left loosens the connection. It might sound simple, but remembering the phrase “righty tighty, lefty loosey” can help you avoid stripping pipe connections by turning them in the wrong direction.
4. Include a Plumbers Tape
For every connection, include plumber’s tape to ensure that it is secure. Plumber’s tape is made from silicone and regarded as the “plumber’s secret weapon.” While ensuring a good seal, the plumber’s tape reduces the risk of over-tightening and prevents leaks. It also creates a strong waterproof seal on pipes and fixtures.
Your Trusted Plumbing Services Provider
Plumbing quality is as essential as the house! While some plumbing fixtures become loose over time for various reasons in Sacramento, being keen when installing the connection will help save your money and leak stress.
At Huft Home Services, we offer plumbing, heating, air conditioning, insulation, and electrical services to the people of Sacramento and the neighboring communities. We can inspect your plumbing system for loose connections and fixtures and help you address a range of plumbing issues. Our BBB-accredited and dedicated team will assess your queries and offer professional guidance on the way forward. Contact our team today to find out more!
