Plumbing problems are as unavoidable as taxes, but you can reduce the odds. It’s not difficult to avoid major, expensive problems if you know what to look for and get professional help to nip them in the bud. This is where Murphy & Sons Plumbing, the emergency plumbers in Orange County, will help. Below are listed the top nine plumbing problems people often encounter:
1. Broken Water Lines
By far the worst pluming emergency is a burst pipe. Water everywhere and a panic to find the emergency shut of valve. Meanwhile, water is ruining your floors, your furniture, and maybe more. If you’re lucky enough to have this happen when your home, the damage should be minimal, if your not home when it happens, you’ve got problems, and will need to have a company with blowers and dehumidifiers do the dry out in order to avoid mold setting in.
2. Slab Leaks
You hear water running but everything is off. Nobody is taking a shower, no toilets filling, and no sprinklers on yet you still hear the water running. Or maybe you see a wet spot in the side or back yard, perhaps a wee bit of water is always flowing into your gutter. Or worse, you suddenly find a large wet spot on your floor! If this happens, you probably have a slab leak, as so many homes in Orange County have pipes running through the slab of the house. Luckily, plumbers can do a simple reroute of your pipes, and go through the ceiling or walls, avoiding an actual repair to the slab itself.
3. Clogged Sinks
Your sinks and drains work constantly— doing dishes, brushing teeth and washing hands to name a few. Sinks clog from food, soap scum, and dirt down that go right down the drain. First you notice the water slowing down but may not do anything until the sink overflows. You can’t ignore this anymore! And when the plunger or liquid plumber don’t work, it suddenly becomes an emergency plumbing problem!
4. Blocked Drains in Bathtubs/Showers
A strange gurgling sound comes from the drain of a blocked bathtub or shower. A buildup of hair and soap scum are invariably the culprits. If you’re lucky, one of those plastic hair clog removers will remove what is clogging your tub or shower, if that doesn’t help, try a few pots of boiling water. If it’s still clogged, give us a call anytime.
5. Clogged Toilets
A blocked toilet will make weird noises, leak, flush improperly, and get clogged. And a blocked toilet is an emergency. Many people try chemicals, snakes, plungers, even coat hangers. Don’t. DIY solutions often cause structural damage to the toilet; the result is raw sewage backing up—a health hazard! A clogged toilet and blocked sewage line? Time to call us for professional assistance.
6. Leaking Pipes
You just noticed a wet spot on your wall, ceiling, or floor. Or maybe you hear a drip drip late at night. Leaky pipes can cause the most damage, as they often go unnoticed for a long time. Whether it be wood damage like dry rot to mold and mildew, slow water damage over time is one of the most expensive problems around. Although your insurance company may not pay to repair the pipes, they may pay for damage and repairs to your property. If this is the case, be sure to use an emergency plumber who does insurance work, as you can often recover thousands of dollars in costly repairs.
7. Burst Water Heater
You can’t do without hot water for showers, laundry, and dishes. Check your water heater now and then. If you see water flowing from the tank, a big problem may be brewing. A leak means paying for water you’re wasting, and, even worse, water that can damage your house and furniture. Leaks can be caused by bad heater valves or corrosion from rust. You may need overflow repair or a new thermostat. Or if the old heater is toast, it can be replaced with a tankless unit. Call one of our plumbing professionals to find the cause of the problem and discuss the best solution with you.
8 Main Line Stoppage
Various things can cause a main sewer line stoppage, most often tree roots. Large soggy areas in the yard result from broken water lines; poor water quality and insufficient water pressure are other results. Broken
water lines also bring with them bad smells and unpleasant mud, and these are health issues. Call us if you suspect a broken line, we offer free camera inspection and free leak detection.
9. Broken Sewer Line
You may not realize that your sewer line is cracked, but if you do, your nose might be the first one to notice. If you aren’t sure, find a plumber in Orange County who offers free leak detection. We are happy to come and help you solve the problem and get things flowing again.
10. Water Pressure is too high
You may not think this to be an emergency, but when too much pressure persists over a long time, eventually a pipe is going to burst. Might be the refrigerator or washing machine, or most likely one of the pipes in the wall. For this reason, many houses have a water pressure regulator installed somewhere near where the water line first goes to your house. This will keep the pressure from getting to high and damaging your water pipes or appliances. Be sure that yours is functional and your pressure isn’t to high.
Plumbing problems perplex? Murphy & Sons Plumbing to the rescue! We are one of few emergency plumbers in Orange County available 24/7. We can fix any plumbing problem and give you peace of mind.
Call us anytime at 800-545-1792.
