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Plumbing problems occur when you least expect them, often during the most inconvenient times. That’s why having a reliable plumber that you can call on weekends or other times outside regular business hours makes sense for anyone who owns a home, including homeowners in the sleepy Fort Worth suburb of Burleson, TX.

Leaking Pipes

One of the most common problems for which plumbers find themselves called out is leaking pipes. Like a crime, a leak in a pipe rarely occurs in the open. Leaks stay hidden in ceilings and behind walls, or places where you rarely go. You may see signs of these leaks when your water bill comes with a noticeably higher amount due. Or you may notice the stains on the walls, the mildew forming, or a perceptible rise in humidity levels. But it’s unlikely without a professional plumber that you’ll be able to locate the leak.

A skilled plumber with the right tools will be able to find the leak and, with minimal damage to your home, reach the offending pipe and repair the leak. Professional plumbing companies use the following detection methods to find leaks:

  • Visual: There are many visible signs an experienced plumber will pick up, including signs of warping, discoloration on walls, uneven floorboards, and bulges in wallpaper. While dripping water seems easy for anyone to discover, finding the exact spot takes an experienced plumber, who will determine the path the water’s taking then trace it back to its source.
  • Sound: One key tool used in plumbing when searching for leaks is a listening device, particularly for slab leaks, which occur near a home’s foundation, underneath slabs of concrete. These sensitive listening devices help a plumber hear the sound of water dripping or otherwise escaping from your home’s pipes through all kinds of material, allowing your plumber to narrow the search.
  • Infrared thermography: An imaging camera scans the area where you suspect a leak. This high-tech method creates an image on a monitor, pointing to temperature differences that show exactly where a pipe’s interior is exposed. It requires special training to interpret the results, but a trained plumber will be able to pinpoint the leak with precision.

You’ll most likely need a trained plumbing expert armed with the right tools and expertise to find a leaking pipe, though you won’t want to risk unnecessary damage to your home when looking for a single leak. To fix a pipe, plumbers often need to break through walls, ceilings, or sometimes even concrete.

Some Common Sink Problems

Another common plumbing problem occurs with sinks. Whether it’s your bathroom basin or your kitchen sink, clogged-up drains and leaky faucets are particularly annoying.

Sinks in kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms become clogged for a variety of reasons. These include:

  • Food
  • Grease or cooking oils
  • Hair
  • Lint
  • Soap scum

Now, there are countless other objects that can get stuck in your drain to cause problems, and any experienced plumbing professionals will be able to regale you with stories of what they’ve found in pipes, but those five substances are most often the culprits in the majority of clogged drain cases. Three common sink problems that occur with regularity, according to a number of unscientific polls of plumbing companies, involve garbage disposals, clogged drains, and leaky faucets. Though most of these can be resolved without calling out a plumber, it’s also important to know when you’ll need to call in professional help.

Like leaking pipes, leaky faucets are another reason people often call out a plumbing service. Though not as destructive as a leaking pipe, as it’s draining into a place where water goes in any case, a leaky faucet can cause extra expense, as well as make an annoying drip, drip noise. Sometimes it’s just the aerator, the part of the tap where the water flows out, that’s had sediment build up. This happens especially with mineral-rich water, particular from wells. Just inspect it by unscrewing it and, if that’s not the malefactor, then call an expert to assist.

Broken garbage disposals also often cause sinks to clog. It may be due to some fault with the garbage disposal, or it might just be broken. Most garbage disposals can be reset by pushing a red button underneath the disposal, and this usually is all it takes to get it running properly.

However, sometimes it takes something more than just resetting your garbage disposal. If your disposal still isn’t working properly, it’s best to call out a professional. Plumbing companies can conduct an internal video inspection of your sink to find out exactly what the problem is.

Whatever you do, don’t put your hand down the drain, as there’s always the chance it can turn on and lacerate your hand. Even when the system is turned off, the blades can cause injury, and even a trip to the emergency room. So, it’s usually best if the reset button doesn’t work just to call a plumber.

Meanwhile, back to all those debris that can get stuck in your drain underneath your sink.