Electrical Problems That Can Cause Plumbing Issues
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Building and maintaining your house or office space can sometimes be a significant challenge. The infrastructure of most homes and workplaces regarding maintenance is generally defined under two categories: your plumbing and electrical system.
Electrical systems make you think of wiring and outlets, and the thought of plumbing can make your mind wander to pipes and faucets. However, these two systems can interact unexpectedly, resulting in problems that may take time to be apparent. Electrical issues can indeed trigger and cause plumbing issues, and that’s why learning how these two super-problematic areas overlap is vital for having a safe residence or working space.
Understanding Electrical and Plumbing Systems
Let’s understand what electrical and plumbing systems entail.
What Is an Electrical System?
An electrical system is a sophisticated array of wiring and circuits that bring power to the many different rooms in your house or workspace. It consists of the main service panel (typically located at the entrance of your property), outlets, and switches, all of which must be wired and grounded correctly to provide the right mix of safety and efficiency. Any issue in wiring or grounding can lead to hazards, such as shocks, and potential risks, including matters affecting your plumbing system.
What Is a Plumbing System?
A system of pipes, valves, and fixtures that carry water from the main supply to the users at home or business premises and remove waste characterized by other facilities such as heating systems is what is known as a plumbing system. The key elements of a healthy plumbing system include water pressure and flow. When something disrupts the water flow, you might face leaks, bursts in your plumbing, or a lack of hot water.
How Electrical Problems Can Lead to Plumbing Issues
Water and electricity are a lethal combination. Electrical currents can energize water, resulting in electrocution hazards. However, electrical issues may cause subtle plumbing problems listed below:
1. Electrical Shorts and Pipe Leaks
An electrical short is one of the most common ways an electrical issue manifests into a plumbing problem. When an electric short occurs, it can produce sparks or a sudden surge of energy, which may cause damage to nearby pipes, leading to minute leaks that can be difficult to trace.
For example, a hidden electrical short behind a wall can slowly deteriorate the integrity of a pipe. This gradual deterioration can then become a major leaking issue. Such issues in commercial buildings can lead to a large amount of damage, cause interference in business operations, and even pose health risks, such as skin rash among the occupants, necessitating regular inspections by a commercial electrician to prevent such costly and disruptive problems.
2. Grounding Issues and Plumbing Failures
In any electrical problem, grounding helps provide the safest means through which electricity returns to the ground. Because the electrical current follows a circuit, poor earthing can result in electrical currents traveling through your plumbing system and cause corrosion to your pipes, especially if they are made of metals like copper or galvanized steel.
This may lead to appliances like washing machines or water heaters, connected to both electrical and plumbing systems, to undergo internal damage or complete failure.
3. Power Surges
Fluctuations in voltages or, more specifically, power spiking, where a sudden increase in voltage occurs, can harm the electrical parts of appliances related to both the plumbing and electricity supply systems, such as a water heater or a dishwasher. For example, a damaged water heater might not regulate temperature properly, causing it to overheat or malfunction.
If these components are unfit, they can cause leakage and other problems in the plumbing system.
Endnote
By understanding that electrical and plumbing systems are connected, you can do more to save your property from similarly expensive reparations. If you suspect anything related to electricity is causing plumbing issues, be sure not to tinker with it. Instead, contact a licensed electrician (as well as a plumber) to identify the problem quickly.