Plumbing problems are patient, which is why they get put off. A drip does not become a flood overnight, and a slow drain does not back up on the first day. The difficulty is that water keeps working the whole time, usually somewhere you cannot see. Here are six of the problems we see most often in Durham homes, what each one grows into, and the small fix that keeps it from getting there.
A faucet that drips
A faucet dripping once a second wastes about 3,000 gallons a year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which is enough to notice on a bill. Beyond the water, a drip usually means a worn cartridge or seat, and a faucet that keeps running against a worn seat wears the valve body itself. What was a cartridge replacement becomes a faucet replacement. The small fix is a cartridge, and it is a short visit.
The toilet that keeps running
A toilet that runs between flushes can waste up to 200 gallons a day, again per the EPA, and a water bill that jumps with no change in the household is often one flapper that no longer seals. Left alone, the fill valve runs constantly, wears out, and eventually fails in a way that either will not stop or will not fill. The flapper is one of the least expensive parts in a house, and replacing it is a comfortable afternoon task or a quick stop for us.
Slow drains
A slow drain is a partly blocked drain, and a partial blockage collects everything that passes it until it becomes a full one. In the kitchen that is grease and food; in the bathroom, hair and soap. When the blockage sits in the main line rather than one fixture, the first full clog sends wastewater back up through the lowest drain in the house, usually a shower or a floor drain, and cleaning up after that is a very different job from clearing a slow line. The small fix is drain clearing while the drain is merely slow, and for lines that clog repeatedly, hydro jetting scours the whole pipe rather than punching through the clog.
A small leak in a wall or under the house
This is the quietest problem on the list and the most destructive. A pinhole in a copper line, a weeping joint under a sink, or a slow drip from a supply line in the crawl space puts a little water in the same place every day. Framing softens, subfloors swell, drywall stains, and in Durham’s humidity, mold takes hold in the wet cavity within days. Under a house sitting on Piedmont clay, that moisture has nowhere to drain and stays. The small fix is a pipe repair after professional leak detection finds the spot. The large one, six months later, involves a plumber, a remediation company, and a carpenter.
Pressure that has faded
Low pressure is a symptom, and the causes behind it grow in different ways. A failing pressure regulator can swing the other way and let pressure climb too high, which stresses every joint, valve, and appliance hose in the house and is a common cause of a washing machine hose bursting. Corrosion narrowing older pipes worsens until they leak. A hidden leak that is stealing pressure is the problem above. For well homes, a pressure tank that has lost its air charge makes the pump short cycle and wears it out early. A water pressure assessment sorts out which you have, and each is cheaper to address before there is water on a floor.
A water heater that rumbles
Sediment on the bottom of a tank water heater makes it rumble as it heats and slow to recover between showers. That same sediment insulates the tank bottom, so the steel overheats every cycle and becomes brittle. The end of that road is a tank that leaks, which cannot be repaired, on whatever day it chooses. Many Durham water heaters live in crawl spaces and attics, and an attic tank failure includes a ceiling. The small fix is an annual water heater flush and an anode rod check, which together add years. The large one is an emergency replacement with a drywall bill attached.
Why we suggest not waiting until the holidays
Two things about this area make waiting cost more than it looks. The first is the crawl space under so many Durham homes, where a leak can run unseen for months and where a January freeze can turn a weak joint into a burst pipe. The second is the holiday season, when houseguests and cooking push every marginal drain and toilet past what it can handle, and every plumber in the Triangle is booked. A repair in October happens on your schedule. The same repair the week of Thanksgiving happens when someone is available and not when you need it most.
We are happy to fix it while it is small
Happy Home Services has served the Triangle since 1955 with honest, upfront pricing with a 100% money-back guarantee. If your home has any of the six problems above, schedule online or reach us 24/7 by phone or website chat. Members of the Happy Home Service VIP Club receive up to 25 percent off repairs and a triple labor warranty.