When we think of leaks occurring in our homes the first thing we think of are pipe bursts or slab leaks. However, there is more than one way to get a leak in your home. Even if your pipes are not leaking, the chances of your house flooding due to the failure of a supply line or fixture will always be looming near by. Some of these issues are sudden and accidental, but some issues will have signs that they are about to fail. For starters, it is always a good idea to routinely check the flex lines and angle stops to your sinks. When these flex lines burst it is like running your faucet non stop, except all the water is pouring into your cabinets. That is why it is also a good idea to check your angle stops and make sure that they can still shut off the water to your flex line and faucet. A flex line that is about to fail simply looks brittle or old and if it looks questionable than it is probably time to replace them. Angle stops have a chance of blowing as well, but these parts can be routinely inspected by testing if they still shut off or not. Once they stop working, the first sign that it’s beginning to fail arises. Other areas that people seem to forget about are the supply lines to your dishwasher and refrigerator. These lines are normally hidden and it is easy to keep them out of sight and out of mind, but that is also the reason why it’s important to check on them. When these lines leak they are normally not found until it is too late and your cabinets are saturated or covered in mold. So we recommend to occasionally inspect under your sink, dishwasher, and behind the refrigerator. We have learned that plastic or copper supply lines are the first to fail due to kinking, but a steel braided line tends to be more durable and has a longer life span. Doing these inspections is a lot easier than you would imagine and they could save you tons of money on repairing damages. The bursting of flex line, angle stops, water heater supply lines, and shut off valves can be caused due to age and normal wear and tear, but the chances of having an issue occur increases drastically when you have high water pressure coming into you home. All the supply lines and fixtures in your home are designed for normal water pressure of 50 psi to 65 psi and allowing high water pressure to your home is the equivalent to having too much air in your car tires. The pressure to your home can be easily checked by a small pressure gauge that you can place on your hose and this gauge can be purchased fairly cheap from Home Depot, Lowes, or any of your local hardware stores. Also, if your pressure is higher than 65 psi then all you have to do is replace (or install) the pressure regulator at your home and you’ll be set for another 7 to 10 years. When you are routinely checking your flex lines and pressure, also make sure that all your main water shut offs to the entire home are functioning as well. If an emergency ever occurs then you will want a plan B to shut your water off if the angle stops are no longer functioning. If you do not feel comfortable or are unsure if you are inspecting your lines, fixtures, or pressure properly than please feel free to call Menifee Plumbing at 1 (888) 333-5325 for an inspection or simply to ask us for advice.