7 Signs You Need to Call A Sacramento Plumbing Contractor
Posted by William Heinselman on
There are several cases where you won't need to call a plumbing contractor. For instance, plumbing problems like clogged toilets or drains are often easy to fix with a plunger or a drain unclogging agent.
But, what happens if you face a major plumbing issue that you can't fix yourself? Do you have a plan of action in place? Do you know who to call?
Don't wait until the last minute to have your plumbing problems assessed. Fix the problem before more damage occurs by using a Sacramento plumbing contractor for your more demanding plumbing problems.
What Areas Can a Plumbing Contractor Help With?
Here are three areas a professional plumbing contractor can help with.
Residential Plumbing
Residential plumbing covers a wide variety of plumbing problems for the home. Some common plumbing problems you may encounter in a residential home that plumbing contractors can help with include malfunctioning water heaters, natural or propane gas leaks, drains, pipe leaks, and more.
From drain cleaning to pipe repair, Express serves all your residential plumbing needs using optimal, affordable, and safe energy efficient solutions.
Commercial Plumbing
Commercial plumbing services are focused on plumbing issues in different commercial business settings such as office buildings, large scale commercial complexes or buildings, massive building structures with multiple floors, and more.
The commercial plumbers at Express educate customers on how to prevent commercial clogs from happening, and they offer their services to return commercial plumbing back to normal.
Municipal Plumbing
Municipal plumbing includes all plumbing problems that extend outside of a building into city and county plumbing systems. Municipal clogs and leaks can quickly become a burden and should be fixed as soon as a problem is detected.
Express keeps these pipelines flowing by offering municipal plumbing services like routine maintenance and hydro-jetting.
When to Call a Plumber: 7 Telling Signs
When your plumbing issues go from simple fixes to complex plumbing problems, it's best to call a plumber.
Here are seven signs your plumbing problems require more than a simple fix:
1. Your Drains are Clogged
Your drains won't drain even after you plunged, snaked, or busted out your special brew of baking soda and vinegar. And still your stubborn bathtub drain, sink, or shower refuse to drain properly.
You'll need to call a professional plumber to diagnose and clear the problem. Common drainage problems are often caused by soap or grease buildup or a foreign item lodged somewhere in the pipes.
A professional plumber will also be able to determine if you have one of the following larger issues:
- Invasive roots. Tree and plant roots can make their way inside your pipes if they aren't watertight.
- Offset pipes. Over time, the ground your house was built on settles and shifts. Old concrete and clay pipes move with it, and if they are forced upward, gravity won’t take the water down as intended.
2. Your Faucets are Dripping
Having a faucet that drips consistently is a nuisance that costs you extra money on your water bill each month. A slow drip may only run you around $20 a year, but a fast dripping faucet may cost you up to $200 a year.
Some dripping faucets are easy to fix if it is caused by a corroded washer. If the slow leak is more serious, involving your compression, cartridge faucets, or ball, you most likely need to call a plumber.
Dripping faucets are wasteful and are a huge concern for cities in California, like Sacramento, that often have water shortages and water usage cutbacks. This is even more of a reason to hire a licensed professional plumber to fix the issue as soon as possible.
3. Your Toilet Is Clogged
A clogged toilet is a huge problem in homes with only one toilet, and an inconvenience in homes with more than one toilet. After you attempt a thorough plunge, you may check these following things:
- The flapper. A bent, warped, or cracked flush valve, or flapper, can cause a clogged toilet.
- The chain. A disconnected or broken chain cannot lift the flapper, which means the toilet won't flush. Reattach, readjust, or replace the chain to solve the problem.
- The tube. A loose or cracked overflow tube allows water inside, preventing the tank from filling properly and flushing.
4. Your Pipes Keep Leaking
Leaking pipes can easily cause water damage to the affected areas of your home or business. Mold can grow when leaking water is not cleaned up or addressed in a timely manner. The longer mold is left alone to grow, the more damage it causes, such as respiratory issues, allergic reactions, and other problems.
If your flex tape, repair clamp, joint fillers, and fitting compounds don't resolve the leak, don't let the leak go unchecked for long. Contact a plumber who knows how to fix the problem right the first time.
5. You Have Low Water Pressure
Turning on your faucet to see your water barely trickling out is frustrating. It may take you twice the time to wash your dishes or the soap off your body in the shower when you have low water pressure.
Low water pressure is sometimes an easy fix. For instance, your main shut off valve may be the culprit. All you have to do is turn your valve to make sure it is completely open, or you may want to see if there is a pressure-reducing valve installed.
Other times, low water pressure is caused by water leaks, mineral deposits and debris buildup, or your water supplier.
Hire a plumber when you realize you can't locate the source of the problem or fix it.
6. You Have Septic Tank or Sewer Line Leaks
When you flush your toilet, it goes down to the inlet pipe and into a septic tank or sewer line. Septic tank or sewer line leaks are serious and often complicated plumbing issues that should be handled by a licensed professional. This is because the origin of septic tank and sewer problems aren't always apparent.
Septic tank and sewer line leaks are a hazard to the environment and the health of the community. If you notice greener grass or puddles of raw sewage in your yard, you may have a tank or line leak.
7. You Have No Hot Water or No Water At All
Having no hot water may indicate a problem with your hot water heater. Check these things on your water heater to diagnose the lack of hot water in your home:
- Faulty thermostat
- Faulty heating element
- Tripped circuit break
- Tank leak
- No gas
- Pilot light is out
After you check simple problems such as your pilot light and circuit breakers and you still don't have hot water, it's best to talk to your local plumber.
If you have no water at all, it may be caused by your main water shut off valve. Before you call a plumber, check other taps in your home, check with your neighbors to see if they are experiencing the same issue, replace your tap washer, and make sure your water bill is paid.
If you notice that it's just your home or office that doesn't have running water and you cannot diagnose the problem on your own, contact a plumber to get you water running so you can resume your daily activities as soon as possible.
Call a Sacramento Plumbing Contractor
Some plumbing problems may seem simple at first, but they may turn serious quickly if they are left unfixed or are fixed incorrectly.
The best way to ensure your plumbing problems are fixed in the Sacramento area is to contact a contracted plumber like Express Sewer and Drain. With Express, you'll have more peace of mind knowing that you'll receive a proper, professional, trusted, tried and true plumbing repair.
Topics: Plumbing in Sacramento, Commercial Plumbing, Home Plumbing