March 8th, 2017 1:00 PM by Dan Howard
The hot water tank starts dripping from the overflow pipe. Could be a problem with the TPR valve, maybe it is too much pressure in the water system and a "pressure reducing valve" is required where the water comes into the home. The thought “plumbers can be expensive, and it is a small leak” creeps up to the very edge of your consciousness. (a dangerous place for ideas about expense versus maintenance to exist)
Then the furnace condensate pump leaks out of the top when it pumps water out of the pump. It starts as a few drops here and then a couple more there. Then it turns into a pencil lead size stream type of leak.
There is not any noise, or fanfare or sudden burst of water…..There is not any event that is noticeable.
The water leak slowly creeps and then stretches to the cardboard boxes and wooden shelves. Then it smells a little musty. Again, just a little musty.…. Nothing big happened to catch your attention.
Now you have mold! It is time to call someone who can clean the mold. You do not want your family and pets sick from the mold. You also probably do not want the damage that the mold and water leaks are doing to your home and stored possessions.
Many people do not know this, but the elevated humidity and moisture need corrected first to properly remediate mold. Most mold treatment systems are not effective at a high humidity.
Now you fix the dripping condensate line in the hot water tank and the leaking condensate pump for the furnace. It would be less expensive and less trouble to catch and repair the little leaks when they are little. If that doesn’t happen, we can deal with the mold too. We will help people with this problem today, and tomorrow and the next day from one end of the country to the other. It is better for you to fix the leaks when they happen.
On the other hand, human nature is funny. I don't change the oil in my car often enough....and land up wishing I had.