Fix that leaky faucet

[disneysteve]

Our bathroom faucet had been dripping for a while but life was crazy so I didn't get to it. Then the drip became a trickle so it was time to replace it. Cost about $60 total with labor from our handyman (he's cheap but does good work). Our water bill this month was $15 less than last month just from fixing that faucet. We'll break even on the repair cost in just 4 months. It's amazing how much water gets wasted by a simple drip that doesn't seem like any big deal.

[james.hendrickson]

Disneysteve - its the same with draft windows.

Pro-tip for all the lurkers out there. If you have a room in your house that you're not using. Close the door and turn off the heat to it. No need to waste energy heating a space that nobody is using.

[disneysteve]

its the same with draft windows.

True, though that's a much bigger and more costly endeavor to replace. I was more trying to point out how a simple dripping faucet, which you can fix for under $100 (under $50 if you do it yourself) can more than pay for itself in no time.

[Jluke]

Disneysteve - its the same with draft windows.

Pro-tip for all the lurkers out there. If you have a room in your house that you're not using. Close the door and turn off the heat to it. No need to waste energy heating a space that nobody is using.

What kind of heating system are you thinking of - electric baseboard or something similar?

not really sure how that works with forced air other than closing the vent but the warm air will still travel to that location but be forced to “turn around “(?)

I have forced air and have satellite thermostats upstairs and downstairs in rooms that are easy to heat. So it doesn’t run as long as say in my two story foyer where the main wall thermostats are located (but not used as temperature sensors)

[bjl584]

sometimes little things like that can add up.
a running toilet can be the same thing and can be fixed for $10 worth of parts

[myrdale]

If you're planning on staying in your house indefinitely, I would also suggest purchasing a spare kit and sticking back in the closet. My tub / shower faucet started leaking years ago. I was finally able to find the "Mix-It" style valve stem. I ordered (3). I replaced in both bathrooms and stuck the spare in a drawer. $15 each, so no major expense.

[bjl584]

If you're planning on staying in your house indefinitely, I would also suggest purchasing a spare kit and sticking back in the closet. My tub / shower faucet started leaking years ago. I was finally able to find the "Mix-It" style valve stem. I ordered (3). I replaced in both bathrooms and stuck the spare in a drawer. $15 each, so no major expense.

Careful. I learned the hard way that the hot/cold mixer for a shower handle is not universal. They are brand specific.
Just something to keep in mind when shopping for a replacement.

[ua_guy]

My folks had a toilet that was running on and off. Well, one day it clogged but it wasn't apparent that it had done so. My dad knew the toilet needed fixed and was going to get to it in a few days after it started. They were gone for several hours that day, the toilet kept running while it was clogged. Destroyed the upstairs bathroom, and then destroyed the family room underneath when the ceiling saturated, and burst. Insurance paid to put both floors back together - and then dropped them. It was the only homeowners claim they've ever had.

We had a scare here recently. We were away for several weeks and a pipe sprang a leak under our house. The fix was relatively cheap - a couple hundred bucks for an emergency plumber to come out. The leak had been going for at least a few days while we were gone, and the crawl space had several inches of water in it where the leak was. The soil under there has good drainage, so we kept an eye on it, and it went down and didn't cause any mold issues or anything else.

If we go away next year, I think we'll shut the water off just for peace of mind. The other lesson learned - don't wait on leaks. Turn the water off to the appliance/whatever and place it out of service until it can be fixed.