Why Is My Water Heater Leaking?
Where the water is coming from tells you almost everything. A leak at the top of the tank is usually a fitting, valve or the cold inlet and is repairable. Water seeping from the bottom of…
Diagnose it →Symptom first
Why is my plumbing doing that?
Straight answers to the questions people type into a search bar at 11 p.m. Each page gives the likely causes in order, what you can safely check, the signs that mean stop and call, and how we fix it.
Water heaters and hot water
No Hot Water: What to Check Before You Call
No hot water at all usually means the heater has stopped heating, not that the hot water is being lost somewhere. On a gas tank the pilot or igniter has failed; on an electric tank the…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Water Heater Popping, Rumbling or Knocking?
Popping and rumbling in a tank water heater is water trapped under a layer of sediment at the bottom of the tank, flashing to steam and bursting through. It is not dangerous by itself, but…
Diagnose it →Why Does My Hot Water Run Out So Fast?
When a tank heater that used to last through two showers now quits after one, something has cut the usable hot water in the tank roughly in half. The most common reasons are a dead lower…
Diagnose it →Why Does My Water Heater Pilot Light Keep Going Out?
A pilot that lights but will not stay lit is almost always a weak or dirty thermocouple, the small sensor that tells the gas valve the flame is there. Less often the pilot tube is clogged,…
Diagnose it →Why Does My Shower Have No Hot Water When the Sink Does?
If the bathroom sink has hot water and the shower a few feet away does not, the water heater is fine and the shower valve is not. Inside that valve a cartridge or a pressure-balancing spool…
Diagnose it →Why Does My Hot Water Smell Like Rotten Eggs?
A rotten egg smell that comes only from the hot water is hydrogen sulfide gas being produced inside your water heater. Harmless sulfate-reducing bacteria in the water react with the…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Water Heater Relief Valve Dripping?
The temperature and pressure relief valve on a water heater opens when the tank gets above 150 psi or 210 degrees, so a drip means one of three things: pressure in the system is too high,…
Diagnose it →Pressure, leaks and bills
Why Is the Water Pressure Low in My Whole House?
Low pressure at every fixture means the restriction is upstream of the house plumbing: a failing pressure reducing valve, a partly closed main valve, a leak or crushed spot in the service…
Diagnose it →Why Is Water Pressure Low at Just One Faucet or Shower?
If only one fixture is weak, the restriction is in that fixture or the few feet of pipe feeding it. Nine times out of ten it is debris in the aerator or shower head, a mineral-fouled…
Diagnose it →Is My Water Pressure Too High? Signs and Fixes
Household water pressure above 80 psi is too high under the plumbing code, and anything above about 65 psi is hard on fixtures, supply lines and water heaters. The usual sign is not a…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Water Bill High When I Can't See a Leak?
A water bill that jumps with no visible leak almost always means water is escaping somewhere you do not look: through a toilet flapper into the bowl, into the ground along the service line,…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Water Meter Running When Nothing Is On?
A water meter that moves with every fixture closed means water is passing through it, and that water is going somewhere: a toilet, a crack in the service line, a drip in the crawlspace, an…
Diagnose it →Why Are My Pipes Banging? (Water Hammer Explained)
A sharp bang or thud when a faucet, washing machine or toilet valve closes is water hammer. Water moving through the pipe has momentum, and when a valve snaps shut the column of water slams…
Diagnose it →My Pipes Are Frozen: What Do I Do Right Now?
If a faucet gives nothing or a trickle during a hard freeze, find your main shutoff first so you can close it the moment anything starts leaking, then open the affected faucet and gently…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Outdoor Faucet Leaking or Frozen?
An outdoor faucet that drips from the spout has a worn washer or seat; one that sprays from around the handle has a failed packing nut; and one that was fine all winter then floods the wall…
Diagnose it →Why Is There a Water Stain on the Ceiling Under My Bathroom?
A ceiling stain below a bathroom comes from one of five places: the wax ring under the toilet, the tub or shower drain and overflow, a failed shower pan or grout line, a supply line or…
Diagnose it →My Main Water Shutoff Valve Won't Turn or Won't Close
A main water shutoff that will not budge, or turns all the way but water keeps flowing, is nearly always an old gate valve with a corroded stem or a gate that has broken off inside. Do not…
Diagnose it →Drains, sewer and smells
Why Are My Drains Gurgling?
A gurgling drain is air moving through water where it should not. Either the vent that is supposed to let air into the drain system is blocked, or a partial clog downstream is forming a…
Diagnose it →Why Does My House Smell Like Sewage?
A sewage smell inside the house is sewer gas, and sewer gas only gets in when something that is supposed to seal it out has failed. The usual suspects are a trap that has dried out in an…
Diagnose it →Why Are Several Drains Backing Up at Once?
When more than one fixture backs up at the same time, the blockage is downstream of all of them: in the main drain under the house, the sewer line to the street, or a septic tank that is…
Diagnose it →Kitchen Sink Won't Drain: Causes and Fixes
A kitchen sink that will not drain is nearly always grease. Fat goes down warm, cools inside the pipe, and builds a lining that catches coffee grounds, rice and everything else until the…
Diagnose it →Why Is Water Coming Up Through My Floor Drain?
A floor drain is the lowest opening in your drain system, so when the main line or sewer downstream is blocked, wastewater from the rest of the house comes back up through it first. The…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Garbage Disposal Humming but Not Spinning?
A garbage disposal that hums when you flip the switch but does not grind is jammed. The motor is getting power and trying to turn, but something is wedged between the impeller plate and the…
Diagnose it →Why Won't My Dishwasher Drain?
A dishwasher that leaves water in the bottom is either failing to pump it out or pumping into a drain that cannot take it. Check the simple plumbing causes before blaming the machine: a…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Septic or Pump Alarm Going Off?
A septic or pump alarm means the liquid in the pump chamber has risen above the high-water float, which happens when the pump is not moving water: it lost power, the float is stuck, the…
Diagnose it →Why Do My Drains Clog Again Every Few Months?
A drain that clogs on a schedule has a defect that a cable cannot fix, because the cable only opens a path through the obstruction and leaves the cause behind. The usual causes are tree…
Diagnose it →Toilets and showers
Why Does My Toilet Keep Running?
A running toilet is water moving from the tank to the bowl when it should be sitting still. The flapper at the bottom of the tank has stopped sealing, the fill valve is not shutting off, or…
Diagnose it →Why Does My Toilet Flush Weakly or Need Two Flushes?
A weak flush means the bowl is not getting enough water fast enough, or the water cannot leave fast enough. The first comes from a low tank level, a flapper closing early, or…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Toilet Leaking at the Base?
Water appearing around the base of a toilet after a flush means the seal between the toilet and the drain has failed. That seal is a wax ring sitting on a flange, and when the toilet rocks,…
Diagnose it →Why Does My Shower Drip After I Turn It Off?
A shower that drips from the head or tub spout after the handle is off has a valve problem, not a showerhead problem. In nearly every case the cartridge, stem seals or rubber seats inside…
Diagnose it →Wells, pumps and crawlspaces
Why Is There Standing Water in My Crawlspace?
Standing water in a crawlspace comes from one of three places: a leaking supply or drain pipe, groundwater rising through the soil during the rainy season, or surface water getting in…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Sump Pump Running Constantly?
A sump pump that runs nonstop or cycles every minute is usually doing one of four things: keeping up with heavy groundwater inflow, pumping the same water over and over because the check…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Well System Turning On and Off Constantly?
A well that starts and stops every few seconds while a faucet is running is short cycling, and in most homes the cause is a pressure tank that has lost its air charge or has a ruptured…
Diagnose it →No Water From My Well: What to Check
When a well suddenly gives no water, start with the simplest things: the pump breaker, the pressure switch, the gauge and, in winter, the well house itself. A tripped breaker, a pressure…
Diagnose it →Why Is My Water Brown, Rusty or Yellow?
Brown, rusty or yellow water is almost always iron or manganese, either dissolved in your source water or shed from rusting pipes and a corroding water heater tank. If both hot and cold are…
Diagnose it →Need a plumber today?
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