Why Pipes Spring Leaks

Leaks are both the easiest and the hardest plumbing repairs to spot. If your bathroom faucets spring a leak and start spraying water everywhere, you will notice it. If the pipes under your kitchen sink begin leaking water out onto the tile floor, you will notice it. If pinhole leaks affect pipes inside the walls of your living room, you probably will not notice it… until it begins to cause serious damage.

Pipes develop leaks different reasons, and understanding the ways that leakage starts will help you understand why leak detection and repairs are difficult tasks that require the work of trained plumbers. When you have leaking pipes or think you may have leaking pipes, call Butter Plumbing for fast, accurate plumbing repair service in Las Vegas, NV. For your peace of mind, we have 24-hour emergency service available.

The ways that pipes can develop leaks

• Pitted corrosion: This U.S. EPA has identified pitted corrosion as a major threat to plumbing. No one is quite certain what causes this condition, but it afflicts usually corrosion-resistant copper pipes, weakening a pipe’s outer surface until it develops “pinhole leaks.” Although these sound harmless enough, they are difficult to detect, and given enough time will cause extensive damage to drywall, insulation, and other building material.
• Poor plumbing installation/repairs: If amateurs installed your pipes, there is a good chance that poor connections and planning will lead to leaks developing eventually (if not immediately). The same holds true for amateur repair work, including any you might try on your own.
• High water pressure: When the water pressure inside your plumbing spikes, it will start to cause leaking around connections and valves. There are a number of reasons for the pressure to rise, such as problems inside the hot water tank, but one of the most frequent causes is mineral build-up along the inside of the pipes from hard water. You can alleviate this with professional installation of a water softener.
• Aging pipes: If you have an older home with galvanized steel pipes instead of copper or plastic ones, corrosion will eventually weaken them to the point that they will spring large leaks. Plumbers will need to replace the whole pipe when leaks occur. As a precaution, you should have whole-house repiping done to upgrade galvanized steel plumbing with more modern material.

Professional leak detection and leak repairs

To avoid making leaks worse, always call on experienced plumbers to handle the repairs. If high water bills or warping wood and wall material make you suspect that you have hidden leaks, call those same professionals to perform leak detection and pinpoint the trouble.

Butter Plumbing has brought quality plumbing repairs to Las Vegas for over 15 years. Make us your first call for leaking pipes.