Leaking pipes are the bane of water conservation in a home, with a single dripping faucet or leaking pipe wasting on average 212 gallons of water per month. When all things are considered, this increases your water bill, but this also leads to an increased gas or electric bill for the additional need to heat water lost from the leak.

Deal With Pesky Leaks Quickly

How we deal with pesky and potentially damaging leaks is up to us. We can call a plumber or try to do it ourselves — the latter option usually being much more affordable. The approach to fixing a leak depends a lot on the type of leak. If the leak is around the joint, with the proper tools, it is just a matter of tightening the affected area until the leak stops.

On the other side of the coin are more complicated leaks that require a little more effort from the typical do-it-yourselfer. There are several ways to stop such a leak — a few are listed below.

Five Do-it-Yourself Ways to Fix Leaky Pipes:

1.    For temporary fixes to heavy leaks, take a heavy piece of rubber and use hose clamps to affix the material to the problem area. You can also use a rubber pad and two plates that can be bolted together.

2.    Another temporary method is to wrap waterproof tape around the trouble spot. Make sure the area to be taped is dried thoroughly before wrapping, and start the tape two to three inches from the leak and continue wrapping until you are two to three inches beyond the leak.

3.    For small leaks, you can use a compound stick that can be found at your local hardware store. It's as simple as rubbing the compound stick over the small leak, even with the water running.

4.    Epoxy paste is another option, but the water must be turned off and the area to be fixed should be dry.

5.    As a more permanent leak fix, you can get a patch kit at your local hardware store. A factory-made kit consists of a rubber pad that covers the leak and metal plates that compress the rubber pad over the leak. Use this fix only if the pipe is otherwise sound.