The average American family of four uses on average around 400 gallons of water per day, which is dividing in a variety of factors from flushing the toilet to drinking a glass of water. Something as simple as running a long shower in the evening consumes 2.5 gallon of water per minute – which can make you reconsider your shower habits!
However, what is more alarming is that around 10% of US homes have small plumbing leaks that are going unnoticed, wasting on average 90 gallons of water in a day. To put things into perspectives, your leak consumes almost 33,000 gallons of water in a year. Knowing how precious water can be in some areas of the world, it seems ridiculous to waste it.
Additionally, aside from wasting water, a plumbing issue could lead to dramatic consequences. Indeed, a water leak could affect the stability of your structure, putting your house at risk of collapsing in the worst case scenario – or rotting in places and developing mold patches in the most common case. There’s only one tiny problem about plumbing: It’s expensive to fix!
Get familiar with your plumbing
Identifying the issue
Your top priority about plumbing is to determine not only that there is something wrong but also where the source of the problem is. You’d be pleased to know that your plumbing system has numerous ways of letting you know there’s an issue. Changing water pressure and suspicious noises are the most common methods. The banging and clanging of old pipes are typically harmless. However, if your pipes squeal, you might want to figure out how to best fix it. A squealing sound is generally caused by either pressure caused by an obstruction within the pipe or a faulty fitting that moves air and water.Once you’ve figured out the problem, you need to understand the risks associated with it. Going back to squealing pipes, rusty pipes need replacing rapidly before they give in as you don’t want to flood the space inside your walls when they crack.
How can you finance it?
Depending on the plumbing issue, you will need to consider a significant repair investment. Take the rusty squealing pipes, for example. You might need to change an entire section of your plumbing system. Financial substantial repairs can be challenging if you’re struggling to get accepted by traditional lenders. However, you can try alternative options such as getting in touch with specialist mortgage brokers such as with Altrua Financial or using your home equity to pay for the work. If you have an emergency fund, you can use it to finance small and medium repair jobs that can’t wait.
Can you use your emergency funds?
Can you fix it yourself?
There’s an important question to ask yourself when it comes to plumbing. You might be able to fix small issues without the support of a qualified plumber. You need to be careful about it as most home insurance cover reject DIY accidents. But issues such as slow draining sink and tub or running toilet can be resolved in a matter of minute even by an amateur.
You can’t afford to ignore plumbing issues as a damage plumbing system can put your family at risk. However, not all plumbing problems have to break the bank! You can tackle a variety of repairs by yourself, and find alternatives to finance the most important jobs.
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