Ants In Water Faucet – How To Prevent Them?
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Seeing ants in water faucets is something that no one wants to experience in their kitchen or bathroom faucets.
So, what can you do about ants which come out from the water faucet?
Ants are a common pest that can be found in the home. They are commonly seen in those areas where food is present. The kitchen is the most common place where you will find ants.
The most common reason for ants coming out of the water faucet is a leak in the water pipeline.
It is not a good idea to use water that has ants inside it. You can’t use this water to make food or clean dishes. This water can make you ill. You should prevent ants in the faucet water for a healthy life. If you want to know how to prevent ants from coming out of the water faucet, read this article carefully.
Why Are Ants Coming Out of My Faucet?
Ants are coming out of the faucet because either they are entering from any leakage in the faucet water pipeline or from the faucet spout.
They have found a reliable source of food or water at the faucet spout so from there ants are entering into the faucet. One ant brings other ants to the faucet and rapidly their quantity increases within a few minutes.
Finding any ant in the water makes you feel gross and unsanitary. This situation is unhealthy especially when you have kids in the house.
Ants are especially found around food items but they also need to drink water. So, they enter into the faucet and when you turn on the water, they come out with water flow.
The most likely reason for ants in the water faucet is standing dirty water in the sink. Standing water creates moisture which is a good condition to grow ants. Its moistures remain left for long enough, it leads to damp carpenter ants, who build their colonies near moisturize areas.
In addition, people touch the spout with dirty hands, and leftover food stuck there becomes a reason to invite ants into the water.
How Do Get Rid of Ants In Water Faucets?
Getting rid of ants in the water faucet always begins with solid prevention steps. Whether you see ants coming out from the water faucet the first time or the hundredth time, removing ants is not as tough as you think. With our new practical methods, it becomes easy to get rid of ants from the faucet water.
1. Fix The Leakage of the Pipe
Leakage in the pipe is the most common reason for ants in the water faucet. Begin by checking leaks in the water supply lines of the faucet.
Go under the sink and identify any leakage there. If there is darkness, use a torch to inspect the pipes. Sometimes, leakages are very small so they are not visible easily. You need to examine the pipe carefully.
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When you find leakage, you should repair it. If the leakage is tiny, use self-fusing silicone tape to prevent ants from entering the faucet. But this tape will only work if the leakage is not big.
Another thing, you may try to get rid of ants in water is to replace that part of the pipe. Get a new part and install it in place of the old one. It will prevent leakage to the faucet and ants won’t find any way there to enter the water.
2. Fix The Moisture
Moisture is common in the kitchen sink and faucet. Identify the area of moisture around the sink. Check standing water around the sink edges, and puddles under the sink. Tighten everything to avoid any leakage.
With time, waterproof caulking around the sink edges remove. Moisture areas easily attract ants. In addition, splashes of water around the sink and under the basin can become the reason for cracks around sink edges.
From the moisture area, ants go into the faucet and mix with the water.
To prevent ants in the water faucet, keep the sink faucet area clean so moisture will not build there. If you can’t repair the sink area, call a plumber to repair it.
Also, clean the bathroom to solve the ant issue there. Removing moisture will help you to prevent ants in water.
3. Clean Up Food Remnants
Sometimes when people are in hurry, they don’t clean the sink properly and food particles remain there. These food particles are enough sustenance to create a colony of ants.
Generally, food remnants are found in the corner of the sink and inside the drain pipe. Once a week or if possible 2-3 times a week, you should clean the sink properly. Vinegar or bleach is a good natural agent for this cleaning.
Spray vinegar into the sink and leave it for a while and then wash the sink with clean water. At, last clean all water splashes with a dry cloth.
To clean the sink drain, use store-bought products, baking soda, and vinegar. Drano is a good store-bought product to clean up large clogs in the sink drain. On the other side vinegar or baking soda remove small clogs from the sink drain.
If still there are clogs in the sink that holds food remnants inside it, use manual swabbing to clean the sink drain pipe.
4. Close The Entry Point of Ants Colony
Ants enter the faucet from any leakage or spout. By closing its entry point, you can stop them from entering into faucet water.
Finding an ants colony is not a tough task. Most of the time, their colony is near windows or door corners, cracks in walls, etc. When you find their entering point, it becomes easy to remove ants from the water.
If ants are entering into faucet water from the spout, use an aerator to prevent their entry. Use caulk or silicone sealant to fix cracks in the wall or holes in windows or doors.
5. Clean The Kitchen Sink and Surrounding Area
The kitchen sink and surrounding area also need cleaning regularly. It will prevent ants from making their colony into water faucets. A dirty sink area allows scouting ants to return to the faucet water again and again. By removing these, you can easily get rid of ants in the water faucet.
6. Use Insecticides
Insecticides clear ants from the faucet and sink or any other place in the house. Get a good insecticide from an online or offline store and stop ants from coming back.
Most insecticides come in a spray form. You need to spray it into corners or holes from where ants are coming. But be careful, insecticides are not good for health. So, after using it, clean your hand carefully.
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Do Ants Stay Away From Vinegar?
People use vinegar to get rid of ants because it doesn’t kill any ants. People don’t want to kill any living being, so they use vinegar to get rid of ants in the home.
The good thing about vinegar is it is safe to use with children and pets in the house.
Ants don’t like the vinegar smell. The unbearable smell of vinegar keeps ants away from the house. Ants walk in a straight line but when you spray vinegar into their path, they will get lost and change their path.
In the first instance, people can’t smell the vinegar. Spray vinegar on the ant colony. Ants can still smell vinegar after it is dried.
But vinegar is not a permanent solution for ants. It will keep ants stay away for a few days. If you want to remove ants permanently, you need to spray vinegar 2-3 times every week over the affected areas. Seal those areas with caulk or silicone sealant so ants can’t create colonies there.
Why Are Ants Coming Out Of My Bathroom Sink?
Ants are tiny insects that are often seen in the bathroom sink. There are several reasons why ants are coming out of the bathroom sink but the main reason is food and water.
Ants are often drawn to bathroom sinks because they are getting their food from there.
Another reason for ants coming out of the bathroom sink is moisture. Moisture attracts ants and they invade the shower, sink, faucet, and other areas of the bathroom.
After each shower, dirt from our bodies collected into the shower drain, along with excess water. When both things are combined, they make a good supply of food for ants. This food helps ants to survive in the bathroom sink.
Why Do Ants Go Into Water?
Thirsty ants go into the water to drink water. They look for water all around and build their colony near water. Thirsty ants won’t hesitate to go into the sink or faucet to drink water. So, when you turn on the faucet, you see ants come out from the faucet with water.
Ant is a living being and like humans, it also needs water to quench its thirst. Water in the sink is a clear target for ants to quench their thirst.
They will drink water from the faucet or sink and will create their colony around it. They can add harmful things to the water. When they go inside the faucet, they mix dangerous material into the water which they carry on their body.
If you are habitual of leaving water in the sink, then you are inviting ants to stay near the sink. Ants won’t miss this opportunity. They will go to drink water and call other ants to come there. When you give a free path to ants to drink water, they will come there regularly.
So, clean the sink area properly every day and won’t leave any water inside it. Clean water splashes with a dry cloth to prevent ants.
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How Does Combat Ant Gel Work?
Combat ant gel is used to kill the colony of ants. Some combat ants gel comes with one syringe that makes its use easy. It is very effective against ants. It works within hours and removes ant colonies. It removes ants from its source.
Combat ant gel provides fast control of ant colonies. This product contains fibrinol. It is a fast-active ingredient.
It prevents ants to return to their colony. It removes the entire colony. Combat ant gel is a really powerful product to prevent ants from coming out of the faucet.
While using a combat ant gel, wear safety gloves.
Remove the cap of the gel tube. Touch its tip to the affected area by ants and depress the plunger. When you are done, recap the tube.
Apply this gel to cracks and crevices to prevent all possible sources of ants. To get the best result from the tube, make many spots of gel on the ant’s entry.
Don’t use this gel, if you have recently used insecticides because it may cause ants to become repellent.
What Are Water Ants?
Water ants are also known as moisture ants. These ants are drawn to damp environments. The size of water ants ranges from 4-4.5 mm. They have yellowish color so also called yellow ants. Its color differentiates it from other species of ants.
Water ants are commonly found near damp environments. They build their nest around water. Water ants are commonly found in the bathroom or kitchen sink area.
Water ants may damage the wood area. When they build their tunnel in the wood, its decay rate increases. They don’t bite or sting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Do Ants Suddenly Appear?
In some areas, ants are the most common pests. If ants suddenly appear in your house, it means you are doing something wrong which is attracting ants towards your house such as leaving food anywhere, coffee cups, sweets, spillages, etc. These things attract ants. Also, ants don’t come out into the winter season. So, maybe the change in the season is the reason for the sudden appearance of ants.
Can Ants Come Up Through a Sink Drain?
Ants come up through a sink drain in the bathroom and kitchen. A sink drain provides both essential things to them – food and water. Ants leave the colony. A sink drain is a stable source of food so ants grow their colony there and come up from the drain for more food. The sink contains other sources like shower drain odor, junk, dirt, and other edible material.
Do Ants Hate Salt?
Ants hate salt if it is in large quantities. Salt repels ants. If you make a border of salt around ants’ colonies, they won’t cross that border. Salt doesn’t kill ants. Salt works as an alkaline poison that affects ants. If you found ants in your house, use salt to create a barrier for them.
Are Ants Drawn To The Sink?
In the sink, leftover food is a good source of supplies for ants. Food debris in the sink drain is drawn ants to the sink. The area of the kitchen sink is a real oasis for ants. Its area is cool and humid, and ants can find lots of food here.
Conclusion
Now you know why ants in water faucets and how to get rid of them. We have given solutions to prevent ants in water. You may use chemical or natural solutions to keep the faucet free from ants. Repair the leaky parts of the faucet. Fix all cracks and seal all holes to remove the ant colony. Keep the kitchen and bathroom clean so ants won’t come into your drinking water.
Meet Ralph Matthews, father of 2 cute daughters and a skilled plumber with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Ralph has particular expertise in repairing any type of faucet and has helped countless homeowners and businesses solve their plumbing problems with his expert knowledge and attention to detail.
