I hear water running when everything is shut of in the house?

Answer: There are several different possibilities here.

1. First, is a commode/toilet may be constantly running, go to each commode, and shut the water off under the commode at the shut off valve. Then listen and see if you still hear the running noise. Do that for each commode separately. If when you shut off one the sound stops, then that is the problem, and most likely it is just water slipping by the flapper, the flapper is probably old, and warn out.
2. Second, an outside faucet could be constantly running and will not shut off, that would cause that sound also. If this is the case, you might go to your local hardware store, and ask someone for a cap to screw on the faucet at the threads, normally this will stop the leak, then you can either just take that cap off when you need to use it, or call a plumber to have it fixed at your convenience.
3. Third, there is a possibility that there is a leak in the water system, under the home, in the yard, or above slab somewhere. We recommend in this situation that you find the water heater, and try to shut off the water to the hot water lines, at the cut off valve on the water heater. Once you have done that, you can listen again and see if the sound has gone away, if it has then there is a leak somewhere on the hot water lines. If it has not, then most likely there is a leak on the cold water lines somewhere.
4. Another way to verify this is if possible go to the city water meter, and watch the meter, with everything shut off inside, if the meter is still turning, there is a leak somewhere. There are two hands on most meters, there is a small triangle, and/or circle in the middle of the meter, and a big gallon hand. The small hand is a drip indicator, normally if that is moving there is at least a small drip somewhere. If there is not a small hand, you will need to watch the meter for about 20 minutes to get a good idea if it is moving.

If at any time you need any help please do not hesitate to call us, we can help.

My kitchen sink and/or washer constantly stops up.

Answer: If this is a house built before 1975, there is a good possibility that there is cast iron pipe under the home, cast iron pipe deteriorates over time, and more often on kitchen sink and washing machine pipes, because of the chemicals we put down those lines, the grease that gets put down those lines, as well as the size of those lines. It is possible that because of all of that, the lines are deteriorated and warn out, and causing everything put down the line to get caught up and easily cause a stoppage. Powdered soaps can also cause a stoppage easily, the powdered soaps are typically made with corn cob, which can build up in the lines and cause a stoppage. We recommend liquid detergent. It is also possible that there is a break in the sewer line, that has allowed mud, roots or build up to get in the line and stop the line up often. We recommend performing a sewer camera inspection on the lines that are stopping up often to try and determine if there is anything out of the ordinary that is causing the stoppage. We also recommend never using liquid drain uncloggers, such as drain-o or liquid plumber to unclog a line, these are acid based chemicals, and will over time cause more harm to your system than good. The only proper way to unstop a sewer line is to use a sewer cable snake to roto the line out. If at any time you need any help please do not hesitate to call us, we can help.

My sewer line in under the house or in the yard constantly stops up.

Answer: It is possible and that there is a problem in the sewer line under ground. The problem could be roots that have gotten into a break in the sewer line, an off-set in the pipe, a break in the line that has caused mud to get into the line or has caused an off-set, and/or it is possible that something has been flushed down the drain like a toy or something that has gotten lodged in an area of the sewer line that it cannot move from. All of these possibilities could be now catching particles and solid waste running down the line and causing these particles to build-up in the line and ultimately cause a stoppage, blockage or back-up in the line. If this is occurring on a regular basis, it is our recommendation that you have us come out and run a sewer camera into the line to visually inspect the sewer line for any potential problems.

My tub/shower drain is not draining properly.

Answer: This is typically an indication that hair has built up inside the drain, on a stand-up shower only, it could also be lime deposit build-up. If you can see into the drain, you might try to use an old wire coat hanger to try and get some of that hair out of the drain, it is possible that the hair is built up in the P-Trap, which could mean that you cannot get to it yourself, at that point it would be best to call a professional plumber to have the P-Trap drain snaked out to remove and flush out the hair build-up. If you ware able to get the hair out yourself, we recommend that you go to your local hardware store and ask someone to help you get a little piece of screening that you could use to cover the drain, so that the hair collects to the screen. This will allow you to clean that screen off periodically to avoid this problem in the future.

My bathroom sinks/lavatories are not draining properly.

Answer: This is typically an indication that hair has built up inside the P-Trap drain under the sink, you might attempt this repair by yourself, if so, you will need a bucket or pan of some kind, place that item directly under the p-trap, the u-shaped object under the sink, loosen the nuts on both sides of that p-trap, and it will drop out of place. When it drops water will come out of it, this is why you need the bucket or pan to put under it. Then you can look inside to see if you see any build-up in that trap. Also look up in the pipe parts that are on both sides of the nuts you loosened, to be sure there is nothing sitting in there. Run some water at another fixture through that P-Trap to be sure that everything is cleaned out of it, then reconnect it. Once it is reconnected, full the sink with water and then dump it, looking under the sink at the nuts you loosened to be sure there is no leakage.

My toilet/commode is constantly running water.

Answer: This is typically an indication that the rubber flapper at the bottom of the toilet tank is bad, ultimately there are a lot things that could be wrong with that flapper, but what is likely happening is what is escaping by the flapper, therefore causing the tank to constantly try and fill.

Rust colored water is coming out of my hot water heater, what does this mean?

Answer: This may be a sign that you need a new hot water heater. However you could try flushing the hot water heater, by connecting a hose onto the bottom of the water heater at the hose type drain, turn the water supply off at the top of the water heater, turn the hose type drain on, and water should start coming out of the hose, make sure that you have put the end of the hose outside so the water does not flood the inside or the garage. Once water stops coming out of the hose, you can then turn the hose type drain off, make sure it is fully off, take the hose loose from the drain, and turn the water supply back on to the water heater. This may or may not help this problem, but you can try it.

How long should a hot water heater last?

Answer: Water heaters are manufactured to last 6 to 10 years. However we have seen many that lasted longer than 10 years, and a few that did not last 6 years. 6 to 10 years is a good time span to count on for a water heater.

* All pricing information given verbally and/or written is due immediately upon completion of any work performed. In-House accepts cash, check or all major credit cards. If payment cannot be made as listed, all other payment options must be approved before starting the job by In-House management only.