Top Tips: 5 most common leaks in a property and what to do in an emergency

Thursday July 9th, 2020

Chloe’s Top Tips:

Each week I will focus on one of the most common leaks in the home, what to watch out for, how to fix it and what to do in an emergency.

1. Radiators

One of the most common water leaks is through a leaking radiator. Radiators have numerous places that allows water to seep onto your expensive wood flooring or deep pile carpet or even through the ceiling. So it is vital to fix it right away.

A water leak in the radiator could be from a number of different causes including pipe joints, valve, radiator gland, spindle…

Most of the time it is best to call a plumber, as it will draining the system, refilling it and it can be fiddly work.

What do you do while you wait for a plumber?

Here are some fixes that don’t require any intervention or will help stop the leak temporarily until help arrives.

Repair a leaking valve Click here to understand this 5 minute fix

Repair a pipe joint Click here to understand this 5 minute fix

Isolating a radiator Click here to understand this 5 minute fix

When the plumber arrives they will carry out the below list to get your radiator working again:

1. Drain the leaking valve below the leak
2. Turn off the supply & lock shield valve
3. Catch the water that escapes
4. Undo the union nut
5. Open the bleed valve to release water
6. Wrap the valve tip in PTFE tape
7. Re-tighten the union nut & open the bleed & lock shield valves
8. Allow your radiator to fill up again
9. Check there are no leaks & close the bleed valve

If the radiator is too damaged for repair this will need to be replaced.

2. Toilets

Next week I will show you the three most common causes of leaks from your toilet

Chloe Vella