What Happens If You Don’t Fix a Plumbing Leak?
Most people know that big trouble sometimes comes from things that start off very small. When it comes to home maintenance or repairs, it’s easy to underestimate the significance of small problems. It can be frustrating, time consuming, and downright inconvenient to take care of repairs to things around the house. This is true even for pinhole leaks in plumbing: after all, they’re tiny and don’t significantly affect water pressure. What harm could come from ignoring it?
Unfortunately, even a very tiny pinhole leak in your plumbing pipes can destroy your home if not dealt with in a timely fashion. Despite their small size, pinhole leaks can lead to major consequences for your home, your health, and your wallet. The best way to handle a pinhole leak is to contact an experienced Anaheim repiping plumber who has the skills, tools, and knowledge to deal with the problem is a fast and effective way. But why is ignoring a pinhole leak in your home so dangerous?
What Is a Pinhole Leak?
Pinhole leaks usually happen in copper plumbing lines. Copper is one of the most commonly used materials in plumbing pipes because it has the strength to resist almost all corrosion, lasts for many decades, and is very reliable in general. However, there is just one form of corrosion that copper pipes can be vulnerable to: pitting corrosion, which is a localized corrosion unique to copper pipes.
As their name implies, pinhole leaks are very small, often just the size of a sewing pin. They happen when pitting corrosion occurs on copper pipes. This type of corrosion is usually found on a small area of a single pipe in your home, beginning on the outside of the pipe and working its way inward. Eventually, pitting corrosion develops into a tiny hole in the copper pipe that is only big enough for one or two drops of water to leak out at a time. When this happens, you’ll need to call a California repiping company for a repiping repair.
What Causes a Pinhole Leak?
While there are many reasons why pinhole leaks and pitting corrosion occur. Here are some of the most common causes.
- Faulty installation of the original plumbing lines
- The age of your home’s plumbing system – older piping is more likely to fail
- The chemistry of your local soil, which can affect the mineral level in your water along with other chemical substances that can increase the speed of corrosion
- Poor chemical composition within the copper pipes themselves
- Chemicals from city water treatment, which can speed the corrosion process of your copper piping
Why Are Pinhole Leaks Dangerous?
The most unexpected reason why pinhole leaks are so dangerous is that they are so subtle. Most of the time, plumbing problems are obvious disasters. You may have a severe drain clog that prevents any water from draining out of your sink, your toilet may back up, or you might find yourself with a disastrous pipe break, leaving water dramatically pouring all over your basement floor. These types of plumbing damage are easy to find and difficult to overlook.
When it comes to a San Diego repipe repair, pinhole leaks can be very difficult to find because only one or two drops of water spills out at a time, so there are often no visible signs of a leak. In most cases, the leak isn’t found as soon as it happens, so there is plenty of time for water damage to slowly occur and infiltrate over a large area of your home, one small drop at a time.
But what can one small leak do to your home? Don’t assume that such a small leak is harmless. A tremendous amount of damage can occur to your home in a short period of time. This damage can include:
- Destruction of plaster or drywall in your home
- Damage to your home’s flooring or subfloor
- Weakening of walls and other structural features in your home
- Damage to insulation, preventing it from working as designed
- Mold and mildew growth, which can weaken your home’s structure and can have staggering health consequences if left untreated
- Corrosion and damage in other parts of your home’s plumbing system
If you suspect a pin leak in your home or have signs of water damage, don’t wait! Contact a qualified repipe plumber for a Burbank repipe repair right away.
Treat Your Home To a Quality California Repipe
Integrity Repipe is the best in the business. We are the repipe experts and proudly offer a lifetime guarantee on materials and labor for every job we complete. For the best service on your home repipe repair, call Integrity Repipe today!
Published by – Integrity Repipe Inc
Integrity Repipe Inc – San Clemente, CA
927 Calle Negocio Suite O
San Clemente, CA 92673
Phone: 949-397-2404
Website: integrityrepipe.com/san-clemente
Integrity Repipe Inc – Long Beach, CA
2201 N Lakewood Blvd, Ste D #297
Long Beach, CA 90815
Phone: 562-362-5040
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Integrity Repipe Inc – Chula Vista, CA
591 Telegraph Canyon Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Phone: 619-313-5744
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Integrity Repipe Inc – Ladera Ranch, CA
27762 Antonio Parkway L1
Ladera Ranch, CA 92694
Phone: 949-397-2795
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Integrity Repipe Inc – Lakeside, CA
8337 Winter Gardens Boulevard
Lakeside, CA 92040
Phone: 619-494-3507
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Integrity Repipe Inc – Aliso Viejo, CA
27068 La Paz Rd #771
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
Phone: 949-449-1142
Website: integrityrepiping.com/aliso-viejo-repipe-copper-pex-ca
Integrity Repipe Inc – Oceanside, CA
1759 Oceanside Blvd C,
Oceanside, CA 92054
Phone: 442-300-3057
Website: integrityrepiping.com/oceanside-repipe-copper-pex
Integrity Repipe Inc – Porter Ranch, CA
19360 Rinaldi
Porter Ranch, CA 91326
Phone: 818-630-9265
Website: integrityrepiping.com/porter-ranch/