Even though most of us can’t imagine life without indoor plumbing, that doesn’t mean most of us don’t take it for granted. That is, until your pipes spring a leak, your toilets won’t flush, or your hot water heater suddenly stops working mid-shower. Unfortunately, just because nothing is noticeably wrong with your plumbing, that doesn’t mean your system is working properly. And if you’ve noticed your water bills slowly creeping higher than usual, then you might have a hidden leak somewhere in your system.

In fact, licensed plumbers say that a tiny, three millimeter crack can waste more than 250 gallons of water in just 24 hours! In total, the average residential leak adds up to 10,000 gallons of water lost (that’s 270 loads of laundry). And nationwide, our leaking household pipes dump an estimated trillion gallons of water into the ground every year.

And because most of us take the “out of sight, out of mind” approach to our water and sewer pipes, you might not notice a leak until you get that water bill at the end of the month. Even worse, some homeowners go months without realizing that they’re dumping thousands of gallons of water. Fortunately, finding a plumber has never been easier than it is in 2015. Homeowners can easily find licensed plumber reviews on sites like Angie’s List, Google+, Yelp, and even Facebook.

So whether you need emergency plumbing services to stop a burst pipe from flooding your home, or you just need licensed plumbers to find and stop a hidden leak, it’s never been easier to find the right contractor for the job. Best of all, plumbing services estimate that simply fixing common household leaks can shave 10% off your monthly water bills.

Lastly, don’t wait for plumbing problems to turn into a full scale plumbing emergency. Invest in your home by having a licensed plumber inspect and maintain your pipes.