Plumbing Knowledge for New Homeowners

A leaky faucet means something isn’t working properly. It can cause problems and ignoring it can cost you thousands of dollars, and wastes hundreds of gallons of water. If your faucet has one, you can try replacing the gasket in your pipe connections and the o-rings inside your faucets. Some faucet don't have replaceable washers, so you might have to replace the whole thing.

If you have hard water or the faucet is old, it may have deteriorated enough that it simply needs to be replaced.

There are hundreds of helpful tutorials that make troubleshooting home repairs a breeze, but there are plenty of duds as well. They may have made a secure fix, only for it to cause even bigger and costlier issues for you.

Call a professional if you believe a DIY fix was done improperly or is too big or dangerous to take on yourself. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble and money in the long run.

Water pressure that’s too low or too high, is always a sign that something is wrong. If you notice problems with your water pressure, take action immediately before bigger problems arise.

Whether only one fixture is being affected or the problem spreads throughout your entire home, try to narrow down on what could be the cause. Check your main shut-off valve, pressure relief valve, water meter valve, and the pipes themselves for any defects. Professional plumbers and drain technicians can troubleshoot water pressure issues, so if you’re in over your head (hopefully not literally), call a professional.

You might think this one is an easy check off your list because the drains in your new house aren’t backing up. Unfortunately, that’s not the only sign something could be going on.

Even when your drain is operating normally, clogs may be developing deep within the pipes. Some early warning signs of an oncoming clog are a slow drain or a couple of your faucets are losing water pressure. There may be tiny leaks or clogs setting you up for a dangerous situation soon.