How That Leaky Spigot Can Affect Your Time Outside This Summer

It’s summertime again and you know what that means—warm weather, shining sun, and lots and LOTS of MOSQUITOES. Now, we aren’t here to inform you on the removal of these little critters and we certainly aren’t experts in that field, but we can tell you exactly how your leaking pipes or spigots lead to these flying pests breeding—yes, breeding—in and around your home.

Now that the warm weather is back, you might be spending more time outside and realize that your hose spigot is dripping ever-so-slowly. Nothing to be too concerned about, but enough to create that little puddle up against your house. You don’t think too much of it and go ahead spending your well-earned weekend lounging around the house and yard. All the while, the miracle of life is taking place…in that little puddle. Mosquitos breed and lay their eggs in shallow puddles and ponds, including little standing water spots like the one caused by your leaky spigot.

Unfortunately, mosquitoes aren’t the only ones who breed in areas like this. A large assortment of little pests thrive in standing water. The mosquitos are joined by dragonfly nymphs, nepidae (water scorpions), and a personal favorite, housefly maggots (oh yes, we said maggots). These critters all are born from eggs laid in shallow, stagnant waters left behind and sometimes discarded.

But fear not! Hope isn’t lost. While there is no way to completely eliminate these annoying little visitors, we can tell you how to make that quick fix—saving gallons and gallons of water, as well as not creating a place for these little suckers to lay their eggs.

Start by turning off your main water supply to your spigot.
Unscrew the nut beneath the handle of the faucet
Remove the valve stem from the hose bibb
Replace the washer at the end of the valve stem
Place the valve stem back into the bibb, tighten the nut (do not overtighten), turn on your water, and you’re good to go!

These five steps should be able to help you save money on that water bill and save you from at least a few bug bites over the coming months. And if you need a little more extra help such as spigot repair or replacement, you can call Prime Plumbing in Maryland!