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One of the most important components of your home plumbing system is a plumbing line you probably don’t even think about – your main water line. Most people don’t give much thought to the line that brings water into their home until they need water line repair in Arlington, TX. Unfortunately, water line repair can be expensive if you don’t keep up with it, which is why paying attention to the signs can save you a lot of money. Water lines are built to be extremely durable so that they don’t require water line repair on a regular basis, but from time to time things can happen.

Everything from trees to natural aging and corrosion over time can destroy a water main. These are usually factors that are out of your control and factors that you may overlook if you aren’t paying attention. If you notice any sign that you need water line repair in it is better to act before your water is disrupted. Once the water line is broken you will not have any access to water in your home, which is a true plumbing emergency and a costly one. At the very least, the quality of the water that enters your home might be compromised which is also a situation you don’t want to find yourself in.

The best way to save yourself from losing access to water is by looking for the top signs you need water line repair. The following signs are a few ways that your water line may be trying to tell you it needs help. Keep in mind that every home is different as is every water line. Therefore, if you have any suspicions that you need water line repair that isn’t supported by this list you should still consult with Arlington, TX.

You Notice Wet Spots in Your Lawn

Your lawn should not be soggy if it hasn’t rained. If it hasn’t rained for a while in Arlington, TX but you notice that your lawn has soggy spots this may be an indication that your water line is leaking. If your water line has a crack or a fracture in it the water will leak out into the soil. The sun will pull the water up towards the surface leaving soggy areas. While there are other reasons that wet spots may appear in a yard when they happen to occur along the line it is a highly suspicious sign that you may need water line repair.

The best thing you can do at this point is to call a local plumber that is able to inspect your water line with a camera scope. This allows the plumber to look closely at the water line and determine if there are cracks that are buried out of sight. If they determine that there is a problem, you will probably need to invest in water line repair. Repair is usually cheaper than replacement, but depending on the extent of the problem sometimes it is a better choice to just replace the water line and update your system.

Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure in your home can be a hard problem to solve. There are a lot of reasons why your home may have low water pressure that range from the main water line to the plumbing to the water heater. If you have been struggling with low water pressure for a while but have never had the water line checked then it is very possible that you need water line repair.

At the same time, if you have never had an issue with water pressure but start to notice that the water pressure is getting lower and lower this can also indicate that you need water line repair. A crack or fracture can happen at any time, and once it does you will have to deal with reduced water pressure until you have an Arlington, TX plumber out to fix it.

When there is a leak then water is diverted out into the ground. In addition, the water flow is disrupted which results in a drop in water pressure. A small crack may cause a small drop, but as that crack grows the amount of water pressure in your home will make showering, washing, or bathing practically impossible. Anyone who has had to wait five minutes to fill a cooking pot knows that low water pressure isn’t going to cut it.

Luckily, you can fix your water pressure by calling an Arlington, TX plumber for water line repair. Don’t deal with showers that are unsatisfactory or appliances working incorrectly because of low water pressure. Keep in mind also that there are other causes for low water pressure so you need to call a plumber either way. Low water pressure is always something that should be investigated by a professional.

Discolored Water

The water in your home should never be cloudy or discolored. Optimally, the water in your home should be transparent and crisp. If you fill a glass of water and see a haze or a rusty color then this can be a sign that it is time to think about water line repair. Sometimes you will see a brownish color for just a few seconds when you first turn on the faucet, but this is still a problem that needs to be checked on.

The bottom line is that you should never have colored water because it indicates that rust and/or dirt is infiltrating your water line at some point. However, the rust can be coming from various points in your plumbing system. An old corroded pipe or the water heater can be responsible for releasing dirt into your water supply.

If you notice that only one faucet or sink has discolored water, then you know that the problem is local. In this case, there is probably a pipe or fixture in the affected room that is corroded. A local plumber should be able to pinpoint the problem and replace the rusty part.

On the other hand, if you notice that the discolored water only shows up when you run the hot water then you likely have a problem with your water heater. At this point, you will want to call a plumber sooner instead of later because hot water is used to wash nearly everything in your home. From your washing machine to your kitchen sink, you don’t want to wash your clothes or dishes with rust because it will discolor everything you own. Most of the time if you notice rusty water coming out of your hot water lines it signals that the inside of your water heater is starting to rust which means it is time to replace your unit. This is not something you want to wait around on because the damage could get so severe that your tank simply bursts.

If you notice that the discoloration is coming out of your hot and cold water taps and from multiple fixtures in your home, then it is highly like the water main is involved. This indicates that either the main water line is rusting or is cracked and allowing dirt and other debris to infiltrate the clean water that is running into your home. The only way to remedy the problem is by calling someone to inspect your water line and then either offer water line repair or water line replacement services. The extent of the problem will usually determine if you need water line repair or replacement. The longer you wait to address the issue the higher the chance that the entire line will need to be replaced.

Drastic Change in Your Water Bill

Most people have fairly steady water bills. Some municipalities use an average over a three-month period while other municipalities read water meters every month, but either way, your water bill should remain fairly steady. Therefore, if you see a huge jump in your water bill you know something is wrong with your plumbing system. Sometimes the answer is a simple running toilet or a leaky faucet that you didn’t notice or didn’t get repaired quickly. Believe it or not, a running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water a month. This is one reason why you need to promptly take action whenever you are concerned about a plumbing issue even if it seems small.

However, in other cases, the drastic shift in your water bill might point to a failing water line. When a water bill suddenly jumps up with no logical explanations it usually indicates that you have a leak somewhere. A leaking pipe can cause your water bill to jump, but a large jump usually indicates a larger leak. While you will notice a leaking pipe in the home that is losing a copious amount of water, you won’t necessarily notice a large leak in the water line since it is buried many feet underground.

For this reason, if your water bill spikes you need to call a plumber right away to come out and inspect your home plumbing. They will usually first inspect your indoor lines and then run a camera out of your main line if they can’t find anything visible inside. If they discover a crack or leak in your water main they will quote you a price for water line repair. A damaged water line is expensive to repair, but it will be much more expensive to continue to pay huge water bills.

There Are Cracks in Your Home’s Foundation

There are many reasons why cracks might start to appear in the foundation of your home. Age, shifting soil, and erosion are all reasons why your home’s foundation might start to show cracks. However, a broken water line can also slowly cause your home foundation to break down which is why water line repair is so important. When you think about the consequences of a damaged home foundation, paying for water line repair will not seem so bad.

When there is a leak or crack in your water line the water will dissipate into the soil that surrounds your home. Constant moisture around the foundation will eventually lead to water damage even in homes with extremely strong foundations. The concrete is able to absorb water, so if there is a water line leak near the home foundation the concrete will continue to weaken until eventually cracks repair. As you might guess, this takes a long time to occur so if you notice cracks in your foundation you need to act quickly before the situation gets any worse.

Gurgling in Your Sink/Toilets

Your toilet and/or sinks should never gurgle. Instead, the only sound you should hear is a clear rush of water as it empties the toilet bowl or runs down the sink. A gurgling noise usually indicates there is a problem with a pipe or a blockage that is allowing air pockets to form. If the gurgling is only coming from one toilet or sink then you know you have a local plumbing issue, but if you hear the gurgling noise from multiple locations it is time to call a plumber to investigate. This can indicate a break in the water line as well and the need for water line repair.

Do any of these common signs of water line repair sound familiar to you? If they do you need to call a plumber and have the issue thoroughly investigated. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth offers line repair service to customers in the greater Fort Worth and Arlington, TX area. Give us a call and schedule your visit today.