5 Causes of Damaged Pipes in Dunedin, FL

Pipe damage can be extraordinarily catastrophic to homeowners in Dunedin, FL. When pipes clog, crack, leak or burst, immense property damage may result. To stay safe and take appropriate preventive or remedial action, read about the following five causes of damaged pipes:

Clogs

Many kinds of debris may clog your pipes, including dirt, tree roots, hair, food items and various kinds of minerals. Any of these things can build up in your plumbing and interfere with the flow of water. If this happens, water will push increasingly hard against the sides of your pipes, thus causing leaks or possibly forcing them to burst entirely.

Though certain signs, like reduced pressure from your faucet, often point to the existence of obstructions in your plumbing, you may not always know that they’re there. This is one reason you should allow trained professionals to periodically examine and clean your pipes.

Hard Water

“Hard water” is a term that refers to water that carries an excessively high concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Customarily, plumbing industry professionals begin to consider water “hard” when it contains more than 60 parts per million of these two minerals.

Once concentrations surpass this level, the risk increases that tiny bits of calcium and magnesium will build up and clump together in your pipes. The resulting limescale deposit will clog your pipes and reduce the water pressure that prevails inside of them. As a result, they may leak and eventually burst.

A water softener should help you prevent these problems. If you notice soap scum forming whenever soap mixes with your water or if you have low water pressure and high water bills, you may have hard water. These symptoms suggest that you may need water softener services.

Rust and Corrosion

As pipes age, they can rust and corrode. Since metal will naturally corrode when it meets the oxygen that is in water, this process is inevitable. It also makes pipes brittle and creates small cracks in them, thus increasing the likelihood that they will spring leaks and sustain significant damage.

The most obvious sign of rusting is a reddish-brown discoloration on or inside the pipes. If your water adopts this color or acquires a metallic taste, that is an indication of rust. Finally, if your pipes start to warp, you should suspect there’s corrosion.

Age

Even without additional factors to exacerbate the problem, your pipes will weaken as they age. Cast iron pipes can last for 80-100 years, while copper ones typically last for 50-80 years. PVC pipes won’t rust, but since they use weaker materials, you can only expect them to remain serviceable for 25-40 years.

Different pipe materials come with different service lives. When your pipes get old, don’t hesitate to replace them.

Poor Installation or Human Error

Finally, human error can do much to set the events into motion that will eventually culminate in a serious plumbing leak. For example, if those who originally installed your pipes did not have the proper skills or experience to do the job, they may have improperly soldered their various sections together. Alternatively, they may have placed them in an area where soil shifts or where seismic activity is likely to occur.

In such cases, moving earth can shatter your pipes, or weak welding or fastening work may cause them to come apart. This is one reason why it pays to have trained professionals periodically examine your pipes. After all, such issues won’t always be immediately obvious if they exist.

It can be difficult, costly, and time-consuming to fix burst pipes and the surrounding damage that they cause. Now that you know about some of the major threats to your pipes, you can take action to prevent them or minimize their harm. If you live in Dunedin, FL, and have a leak, call Climate Design Home Services right away to ask for our pipe leak repair services.

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