How to Tell a Minor Leak from a Major Elburn Plumbing Emergency

Here’s the scenario: You found water in your home. How do you know if it’s a relatively minor issue or a more serious problem?

Use this quick guide to Elburn home leaks to determine how serious the problem is and what to do next!

The seriousness of a leak will depend on four key elements:

Volume
Location
Duration
Water type

These are pretty self-explanatory. The higher the volume of leaking water, the more serious the leak is (and the more quickly you need to get water shut off and the leak fixed). The harder the leak is to access, the more likely it is that you’ll need to hire a local Elburn plumber to fix it. The longer the pipe has been leaking, the more you should expect to pay for restoration after the leak is fixed. And, lastly, the dirtier the water (i.e. wastewater), the more important it is to have a professional handle your plumbing repair and cleanup.

Using those criteria, you can reasonably say that high volume leaks, leaks behind walls/under flooring/in ceilings, longstanding leaks, and leaking wastewater are all considered serious plumbing problems.

Minor leaks include:

A slowly dripping faucet, shower head, or under sink supply line that can be contained with a bucket
Dampness around a single fixture without staining or odors
A toilet that keeps running but isn’t leaking or spilling over

Major leaks include:

A steady stream of water or rapid dripping that fills a bucket quickly
Pooling or standing water
A leak near an electrical panel or home appliance
A burst pipe
A leaking hot water tank
Toilets backing up with sewage

Key signs of a major leak include:

Visual indicators like staining, bubbling, sagging, warping, cracks, or buckling appearing on walls, floors, or ceilings
Auditory indicators like a hissing sound behind a wall
Olfactory indicators like a musty or a moldy smell
A sudden drop in water pressure or ongoing low water pressure
A higher-than-normal water bill
A wet yard even without heavy rain

If you suspect that you have a major water problem, give us a call at 1 (800) 674-9130 and our Elburn emergency plumbers will come out right away to diagnose the issue and get it fixed quickly. We serve residential and commercial customers day or night 365 days/year.

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