People are always looking for ways to save money, and when it comes to your home, there's no better policy than the old adage a penny saved is a penny earned.
You can apply this philosophy around the house by taking preventative maintenance steps with things like leaks and water damage because any money you don’t have to spend on repairs is money you’ve saved.
To help you out with this task, today we’ll discuss a few money-saving tips that can help you keep your home safe and your money in the bank.
Money Saver 1: Prevention
When it comes to tips that can save you money on water leaks, prevention is the key.
Prevention means stopping leaks before they start, and there is a myriad of ways this can save you money.
Let’s look at a few of them:
- No money spent on expensive repairs
- No high water bills
- No wasted resources
- No rusted pipes and bursts
- No floods and water damage
- No mold that has to be removed professionally
Money Saver 2: Leak Detection
The sooner you address a leak, the more damage you'll avoid (and the more money you'll save), so if you think you have a leak, it’s important that you get on it right away.
To determine for sure if there's a leak, reserve a two-hour period during the day when nobody in the house will use water.
Check the water meter reading before and after because if there's a change, it means you’ve got a leak.
Here are the ways you can figure it out:
- Visible objects: Check appliances, exposed pipes, faucets, and showerheads for leaks and rust.
- Toilets: Drop some food coloring into the back of the tank and wait 30 minutes. If the colored water leaks into the bowl, the toilet is leaking.
- Buried pipes: Inspect walls, ceilings, floors, cabinets and crawl spaces, for mold, wet spots, dark spots, warping, bubbling, rust, and discoloration.
- Outdoor areas: Walk around your yard, garage, and driveway to look for spongy ground, puddles, wet areas, dark spots, and other signs of water.
Money Saver 3: Avoidance
Prevention and avoidance go hand in hand, and luckily there are things you can do to avoid leaks and the damage they cause.
For starters, do regular inspections of your house.
But on top of looking for signs of leaks, look for things that could become problematic, including loose fittings, rust, corrosion, worn washers, old toilet parts, and more.
Leak-prevention habits you can adopt include not using corrosive drain cleaners, keeping your water heater, septic system, and sump system professionally maintained, and running the right water pressure.
Another important element in the fight against costly leaks is repairing leaks immediately by addressing them on your own.
Or you can call a professional who will get the job done quickly and properly.
