Plumbing FAQs

When a foul odor permeates your house, it usually means that the trap has evaporated. These traps use a small pool of water to block the incoming smells from the waste in your septic system. The easiest way to solve this problem is to pour water into the trap to replenish the barrier between you and the odor.

Most of the time, turning off the water source to potentially freezing pipes will not do it. You need to disconnect any outside hose connections, disconnecting faucets and wrapping them with cloth after they have thoroughly drained. If any water is left inside the pipes, they can freeze.

You should be due for an inspection by now. For the most part, septic systems should be checked every 3–4 years so they can be pumped. This is important because there are solids in the waste such as paper or garbage that can get stuck in the drainage field, causing potential blockages to the entire system (and then damage). It takes time for them to build up, so three years is a good time frame for having things inspected.

If you don’t notice any leaks or drips in your faucets, it might be something else that you cannot see. Check the toilet to make sure it is not leaking first and then check for potential leaks throughout the rest of your house. Do you notice flooding or standing water in your yard or your basement? It might be that you have a leaking water line or a slab leak somewhere that is just now starting to show.

This could be caused by a number of things. The most common (and least stressful) is a closed shutoff valve, a kink in the water line, or old pipes that have develop a heavy mineral deposit in their lining. However, other potentially big problems include water line leaks. If you cannot verify the problem on your own, you may need a plumber to help identify where the pressure is being lost and the easiest way to restore it.

It could be a number of things, but most commonly, if you are using a traditional hot water heater, the reason is a blown heating element. This can affect both traditional and tankless heaters, though more commonly with a traditional system you’ll notice much smaller flows of hot water to your fixtures due to a reduced capacity for heating.

The number one issue related to sump pump problems is a failure in the switch. This can be caused by debris build up or the floating of the pump within the pit. Sump pumps are hardworking machines – they get beaten up frequently, sometimes even if they aren’t used very often. So, it is important that you have it inspected regularly to ensure it will come on when you need it most.