Faulty plumbing can be the cause of some major pollution – one poorly connected piece of pipe in your home could result in waste water from toilets, showers and washing machines flowing into rivers and seas. Andrew Broadbent, chair of the National Misconnections Group, explains the effect a minor misconnection could have on the environment:

“Sewage and wastewater from toilets, baths, showers, dishwashers, washing machines and sinks should go straight into the sewers. From there it flows safely to wastewater treatment works where it is cleaned and recycled back into our rivers and seas. However, sometimes these appliances can be wrongly plumbed into surface water drains –separate pipes which should only collect rainwater (from roofs). Not only are these misconnections illegal, but they can result in chemicals, sanitary items and faecal matter flowing directly into our water environment and even harming our health and wildlife.”

No one wants live or holiday near dirty, smelly water, or to destroy nature in order to save a few bucks. The burden of responsibility (legally) is on you, as homeowner, to make sure that you’ve hired a qualified, accredited plumbing business that has the knowhow to connect waste pipes properly.

Homeowners also need to be proactive in ensuring that their property does not become part of the pollution problem; this means keeping a look out for leaky taps, toilets and radiators. Tell-tale signs are loss of pressure, rust, water stains on the walls, floors or carpets, or mould on ceilings and walls Underground leaks outside can sometimes be identified by patches of lush or dead grass.

It’s true that one little leak is not going to do too much damage; it’s the build-up of pollution over time that will have a serious impact on the environment…but imagine if we all ignored the signs of misconnected pipes. Fixing even a small leak will not only save you money in the long run, it will also save our earth.

If you suspect faulty plumbing; contact the team at AACooper on 01689 485007 or info@aacooper.co.uk. AACooper offers free consultation and no-obligation quotes, and we will take your problem seriously, no matter how minor you think it might be.

Source: Watersage.org.uk – “How Poor Plumbing is Causing Pollution”