Understanding The Hidden Costs of Leaking Faucets

When you have a leaking faucet the most obvious cost to you is the water that you are wasting. Depending on the speed of the drip, it can end up wasting a huge amount of water every year, driving up your water bill significantly until it’s finally fixed. In fact, even a slow drip typically wastes more than 300 gallons of water in a year.

This is one of the most common reasons that homeowners decide to fix a leaking faucet. Too often they ignore the problem, writing it off as only a minor inconvenience until they get the bill for their utilities and ask, “Why is my water bill so high?” and realize that it’s because their dripping faucet is wasting tons of water day and night. And, if the water that is dripping in your sink is from the hot water side, that can also drive up your energy bill because your hot water heater will be running more often to keep up with the ongoing demand for hot water even when you’re not using it. This will also put undue stress on your hot water heater, potentially causing it to wear out sooner, requiring a costly replacement.

But, aside from the cost of the water, a leaking faucet can also damage the tub, shower, or sink that it is leaking into by causing irreversible discoloration if you have rust or heavy minerals in your water. The cost to replace a sink or tub/shower liner is not cheap either!

However, the costliest leaks aren’t the ones that you see happening in your bathroom or sink. The most expensive leaks are those that are behind walls or under cabinets. If your faucet is leaking somewhere that you can’t readily see (like under your sink counter or behind your shower enclosure), it can cause damage to your home building materials (like cabinets, drywall, and baseboards) and allow mold growth to occur. Fixing water damage and removing mold are incredibly expensive activities, especially when they are not discovered quickly, and the problem is allowed to spread.

Luckily, fixing a leaking faucet is typically a pretty minor repair job that a homeowner can do themselves with some time, patience, and the right tools. Look for a resource that has instructions on how to troubleshoot leaking faucet problems or how to fix your specific faucet model.

If you suspect that you have a faucet leaking somewhere in your home and don’t want to fix it yourself, get a local plumber to take a look right away and fix the problem at its source. The last thing you want is to end up with costlier damage because you let a problem sit!

Signs of a leaking faucet include:

• A dripping or spraying sound
• Low water pressure
• Bubbling, cracking, or peeling paint in the areas around the faucet
• Unexplained dampness on walls and along flooring

If you need a plumber to fix your leaking faucet, give us a call at 1 (800) 674-9130 and we will send someone out as quickly as possible to get it taken care of so you don’t have to worry!

Additional Resources:
Does Faucet Repair Require a Plumber?
Can Leaky Faucets be Fixed?
How to Repair a Shower Faucet By Yourself
Is Faucet Installation Difficult?
How Expensive is Leaky Faucet Repair?
How Expensive is it to Fix a Broken Faucet?
What To Do About a Leaky Outdoor Faucet
Reasons for a Leaky Bathtub Faucet
How Much Does It Cost to Repair a Leaky Faucet?
Leaky Shower Faucets
What To Know About Kitchen Faucet Repair and Installation
Leaky Shower Faucet - Steps to Take
What the Pros Want You to Know About Shower Faucet Repair
Faucet Installation Costs
Pro Tips to Fix a Leaky Faucet
Fixing a Leaking Tub Faucet Like the Pros
8 Steps to Fix a Leaky Faucet