
A customer we were called out to in Templestowe was distressed with water flowing excessively from a basin tap. It was an after hours call out and the problem was a split washer that had been leaking a little bit for quite some time and finally it gave way and was flooding the bathroom. The home had quite high water pressure and the leaking tap had been ignored for some time. The faulty taps were repaired over the basin and an appointment was made during normal hours for a pressure reduction valve to be fitted to their main cold water supply. The mains water isolation tap was also faulty and required replacement. The customer advised us that they had a history of “burst taps” and the plumbing was “noisy”.
In order to prevent water hammer in the plumbing system always turn taps on and off softly. Water hammer can be caused by something as simple as a tap washer or the isolating valve on your hot water service. Fixing water hammer can be a process of elimination and, in certain cases, may require the installation of a pressure reduction valve or a water hammer arrestor especially with high water pressure.
Don’t overtighten taps when turning them off. Turning off a tap too hard can split the washer and a drip will turn into a flow and a costly emergency call out from the plumber! If the tap is continually dripping have it serviced before it wears the seat and the cost to repair becomes greater.
If a tap does start running the only way to isolate it is to turn off the main supply to your home. It is important to know where the isolation stop is located at your home which is at the location of your water meter. Its important to know the operation so that you know how to isolate your water should a problem arise. The water meter should be maintained so it is visible and easy to locate in an emergency.
There are several reasons that taps may leak here are some of them!
1) Turning the tap off too tightly splits the washer and causes leaks.
2) Wear and tear simply over time the washer will wear out from being turned on and off, this will cause a leak.
3) Dirt and grit getting flushed through the line and lodging into the washer seat.
4) Cheap washers that have a short life span are used sometimes.
5) The hot water washer can split due to the rubber expanding and contracting.
These are the most common reasons for leaking taps.