Water Valve Leaks and How to Prevent Them

Leaks in water valves can be a great annoyance to a homeowner by dripping water onto cabinet bottoms, and eventually rotting floors if left long enough. The good thing about these types of leaks is that they are easily remedied.

Where is the Leak?
It might sound obvious, but finding where the leak is coming from is often the one thing that is overlooked. Most of the time, when there is a leak in the water valve, people instantly replace the leaky valve without realizing that it could be a simple fix. Get some soap and rub it round the valve, handle, an places where it meets the pipe. It will bubble up where the leak is.

A Simple Twist
Instead of needing to go through the steps to replace the leaky water valve, you just might need to do a simple repair like tightening a nut with a crescent wrench or a plumber's wrench.

Next Step: Replace
If the water valve is old, or was put in incorrectly, then tightening the nut will either warp the fitting or could break the pipe. An old water valve has been worn out from continued use and therefore should be replaced.