The most insidious and difficult-to-detect problem you can encounter with your Palatine, IL home’s plumbing is leaking. Leaks can sometimes occur in plain sight, especially if they are large enough, but often they stay hidden in the many places where your plumbing is behind in the walls and floors, and are too small to draw immediate attention. But even the smallest leak is a serious issue: water destroys drywall and plaster, warps wood, and promotes the growth of mold and mildew.

A number of things can trigger leaks in your plumbing, such as corrosion and high pressure. But one of the main causes is loose connections between pipes and between pipes and other fixtures. Poor initial installation or advanced age can contribute to loose fittings. Whatever the reason, you need to have the connections repaired before the leaks become worse—which they definitely will.

This might sound like an easy fix you can do on your own—just tighten up those loose connections with a few twists of the wrench!—but it’s rarely so simple. It’s a smart idea to contact a professional plumber rather than try to remedy the issue yourself. You risk causing further damage to the pipes and cracking the rubber seals between fittings, and this could lead to a break that’s far worse than the original leak. (In fact, one of the main causes for loose connections is amateur repair attempts.) There may also be other loose connections in your plumbing you won’t know about, but which a professional will catch and help fix. A quality plumber will not only know how to repair the problem, but will also fix the pipes to prevent the trouble from returning.

If you are experiencing problems with your plumbing because of loose connections, contact a professional plumbing company as soon as possible. Lifeline Plumbing offers 24/7 urgent care and same-day service for all your Palatine, IL plumbing repair emergencies.