If you own a house, chances are sooner or later you will experience some sort of plumbing leak. There are a bunch of types of plumbing leaks that can occur from a slow leak in your drain line to a burst pipe that was pressurized. Sometimes these plumbing leaks are small and other times they get out of control very quickly. We’ll discuss some of the different types of plumbing leaks that can occur and what you can do if you get a plumbing leak.
Different types of plumbing leaks
Non-pressurized leaks
An example of a non-pressurized leak would be a leak from a drain line. This could come from a shower drain, kitchen sink drain or bathroom sink. Other examples may be a shower pan leak or an air conditioner leak.
The reason we call these non-pressurized leaks is straight forward. There is no pressure behind the water except for gravity. These types of leaks typically don’t get out of control too quickly since there is no real pressure forcing the water out of the piping. However, these types of leaks don’t get noticed until there’s obvious damage.
Pressurized leaks
You guessed it; these are leaks where there is pressure behind the water which forces the water through the pipes. These leaks occur in the supply side of the plumbing in your house. Either coming from the water main into your house or the water heater.
Pressurized leaks can often be abrupt and occur suddenly. With pressure behind the water, these types of leaks tend to be larger, unless you can stop the leak quickly. However, sometimes pressurized leaks can be small and more like a slow drip. These slow drips occur when the leak is due to a bad seal in a joint or something similar.
What do you do if you have a plumbing leak?
It depends on the type of leak. However, the general rule is to immediately stop using the plumbing system that you are currently using, regardless if the leak is a non-pressurized or pressurized leak. If discontinuing the use of the plumbing system, like turning off the faucet, for example, doesn’t stop the leak then you will want to completely turn off your water supply to the house. All houses have a main water supply that can be shut off with a specialized key. Some houses have a setup where you can shut off a water supply either next to a filter assembly or water heater.
Once you’ve determined that the leak has stopped take a step back and try to determine what has been damaged by the water. This applies to both types of water leaks. If the area is still wet you’ll want to work on drying out the damaged areas. You want to do your best to make sure no more damage occurs.
Depending on the extent of the damage you can reach out to your insurance company or we recommend that you reach out to a claims professional like NeJame Claims to assist with managing things moving forward. After contacting either, a dryout/mitigation company will likely be dispatched to professionally mitigate further damages and dryout the wet areas.
File a claim!
If the damage is extensive you’ll want to file a claim with your homeowners insurance company. Do not wait. If you wait to file a claim your insurance company may not extend coverage. Your standard homeowners policy typically includes coverage for these plumbing leak situations. However, every policy is different and many insurance companies are including limits or even exclusions on water-related claims. Make sure you speak with a claims professional to go over what your policy includes and make sure that you are getting the most for your insurance claim.
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