Essential Plumbing Insights: Know When To Call A Plumber
Your home’s plumbing is a vital network, ensuring everything from your morning shower to your kitchen sink runs smoothly. To maintain a comfortable and safe living environment, your plumbing systems must work properly.
Some minor problems — such as toilet clogs and simple leaks — can often be resolved without professional help. However, some situations require the expertise of a skilled plumber. Understanding what plumbers fix can empower you to make informed decisions about your home’s plumbing needs, ensuring its safety and functionality.
At Mission Air Conditioning and Plumbing, we pride ourselves on being the reliable plumbing experts you can trust to guide you through these decisions. Here, we outline five critical warning signs that indicate the need for expert plumbing services.
1. Low Water Pressure
Low water pressure can significantly disrupt daily activities like taking showers or washing dishes. This issue often stems from a clogged aerator, which is designed to mix air with water to maintain efficient flow and pressure levels. Over time, sediment can accumulate in the aerator, leading to decreased water pressure.
To address this, shut off your water supply and remove the aerator from your faucet to clean it thoroughly. However, if cleaning the aerator doesn’t resolve the issue, the problem might be more severe, such as a leak or a broken pipe in your plumbing system.
In such cases, it’s crucial to contact a professional — like those at Mission Air Conditioning and Plumbing. Our licensed plumbers can accurately diagnose and fix the underlying cause of your low water pressure, ensuring your plumbing system operates smoothly.
2. Septic Odor
Your home’s plumbing system is a complex network of pipes, traps and vents — designed to transport wastewater safely to the sewer system while blocking harmful gases. However, malfunctioning traps or vents can disrupt this balance, leading to either low or high pressure in your drains.
High pressure may force sewer gas through toilets, causing a pungent odor that’s an unpleasant mixture of bacteria and sewer gas. Meanwhile, low pressure can cause siphoning in the traps, allowing gas to enter your home. If the traps become dry, sewer gas will leak directly into the house.
If you detect a septic odor, contact a professional plumber on our team to inspect and clean your vent pipes, ensuring your home remains safe and comfortable.
3. Natural Gas Odor
Many homes rely on natural gas to power various appliances. Natural gas does not smell, so — to ensure leaks don’t go undetected — an additive is added to natural gas. This makes it detectable because of the sulfur or rotten egg smell that results.
Gas leaks are incredibly dangerous and require immediate professional attention. In addition to its smell, here are some signs to watch out for:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Feelings of fatigue
- Throat irritation
- A visibly damaged gas line
- Bubbles in standing water
- Hissing or whistling sounds near a gas line
If you detect a rotten egg smell or notice any related signs, immediately evacuate your home. Avoid using or turning off electrical devices — including your phone.
Keep doors open to ventilate as you exit and once safely outside, call emergency services and your gas company to report the leak. You can also call an emergency plumber to inspect your gas line and perform repairs.
4. Slow Drainage
Experiencing slow drainage in your bathtub or kitchen sink can indicate a clog in your drain pipes, disrupting daily chores and routines. While a single fixture backing up might suggest an isolated issue, slow drainage across multiple fixtures signals a broader plumbing problem that requires professional attention.
Many homeowners turn to chemical drain cleaners to solve the problem, but over time, this can lead to risks such as pipe corrosion. Instead of using chemical cleaners, consult with professional plumbers who can accurately diagnose and resolve the root cause of slow drainage — preventing minor inconveniences from escalating into costly repairs.
5. Unexplained Running Water Sounds
If you hear running water in your home when you aren’t using any water, this often indicates a leak. While some leaks have a simple fix — such as resolving toilet leaks by replacing the worn-out flapper — others will require immediate attention from a professional. This is essential for quick detection and repair.
Addressing issues early on can prevent costly damage and repairs. Keep an eye out for any big changes in your water bill despite no change in your water usage habits. Additionally, look for signs of standing water around your home, including water stains on the ceiling and floor.
Securing Your Home’s Plumbing With Professional Care
Recognizing the signs of plumbing issues early can save you from costly repairs and significant inconvenience — making it crucial to know when to call a plumber. At Mission Air Conditioning and Plumbing, we’re equipped to address a wide range of plumbing concerns.
If you’re struggling with the plumbing in your home, give our team a call!
