Clear Plumbing Red Flags That Might Be Risky to Ignore

By Brian Sodoma, for Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning

As we move into winter, many homeowners tend to prioritize maintaining their boilers and other heating equipment, often forgetting about other important utilities. While maintaining your heating is always smart, your home’s plumbing system might need help now and then too.

You might want to consider a regular plumbing checkup. After all, plumbing problems are often only discovered after something breaks, but it’s also probably true that your system might have been trying to warn you for weeks. To minimize your risk of needing serious repairs, here are several often overlooked signs that your plumbing system needs immediate attention.

1. A Drop in Water Pressure

If your home’s water pressure falls suddenly, that’s usually because of an issue with your water main. It may be a failure somewhere along the main line or even a pipe within it, explained BJ Richardson, a Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning plumbing manager.

However, if your water pressure problem is restricted to one room, like the bathroom or kitchen, it might be a fixture problem. It could be a simple fix, such as replacing a faucet aerator or addressing a water heater issue. Or it could possibly be something a little more complex, like a supply line leading to that room.

“I always tell people to keep an eye on their water bill too. If these pressure drops happen at the same time when you suddenly see a higher bill, there could be a deeper problem,” Richardson said. “It’s smart to check your water meter if the total usage changes abruptly. That’s another sign there’s a leak somewhere.”

In certain situations a sudden problem with your water pressure starts at the municipal supply – in these cases, that is easily resolved with help from a booster pump.

2. A “Sewer” Smell in the Home

“While kitchen or bathroom sink clogs can sometimes produce unpleasant odors in the plumbing, a persistent odor of rotten eggs suggests a problem. Drains include traps and vents inside them and either component can clog. If the smell persists, you might have a clogged sewer line or even a sewer gas leak. Diagnosing and fixing these problems is usually best handled by the professionals, Richardson said.

Remember that while propane and natural gas have a distinctive smell, they are frequently mistaken as a sewer smell. When in doubt, call a professional.”

3. Rusted or Discolored Piping

Discoloration and visible wear on exposed pipes represent other signs that are often ignored. If you’re in your basement, outside or anywhere in your home, it’s smart to take a closer look at exposed pipes. Noticeable wear and discoloration usually points to the presence of a leak.

Discoloration commonly occurs in an area of the plumbing where two pieces of piping meet. Overlooking discoloration is particularly dangerous when it comes to your main water lines because they are pressurized, Richardson explained. If the plumbing breaks, it can lead to serious flooding in your home very quickly.

With certain pipes, discoloration is in fact caused by different chemicals municipal services employ to sanitize and treat the water.

4. Slow Drains

It is tempting for homeowners to fix clog-related problems with liquid drain cleaner, but those chemicals are usually only a temporary fix that might damage your plumbing system. While we’ve all heard of hair clogs, the truth is hair is not the clog’s culprit. Products like cleaning supplies, toothpaste, hand soaps and even the oil produced in our skin create a layer of scum on the drain walls that grabs onto hair and other foreign objects, something most liquid drain cleaners won’t eliminate. Employing a mechanical snake or drain machine is our recommendation for the most effective way to address this type of entrenched clog. Usually, if a clog is right inside the pipes below the sink, clearing it out usually solves the problem. But if that fails, it could indicate a more significant issue.

“The thing you should watch out for is if multiple drains are constantly clogging, and the problem doesn’t go away itself despite cleaning the drain under those sinks,” said Brian McMasters, a Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning division plumbing manager. “The sewer line may also need cleaning, but in some plumbing systems, the cause of the problem is tree roots that grow into and crack a sewer line. Handling this kind of situation is obviously a bigger project and requires trenching down where the leak is to repair it.”

5. Wet Spots in the Yard

Regularly inspect around your house, as well as your yard. It’s wise to take care of this every week. Often, a broken underground water or irrigation line leak, or even a sewer main line leak, presents itself gradually, once a significant amount of water has already leaked out. Look for soft, sunken spots in your yard as these may suggest a hidden issue.

“You also want to be on the lookout for things such as unusually green patches in typically dry or yellow areas of the lawn,” mentioned McMasters. “In many cases, that’s a sign there’s a problem that needs an expert’s attention.”

Learn what you need to know about avoiding common issues with plumbing systems and receive expert help at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning.