J.W. Freeman Plumbing - Gainesville, FL Plumbers

Gainesville plumbers offering full service plumbing services.

10 Silent Signs Your House May Have a Major Plumbing Problem

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Signs Your House May Have a Major Plumbing Problem
10 Silent Signs Your House May Have a Major Plumbing Problem

Do you know the signs of a bad plumbing system? Our experienced plumbers in Gainesville want you to know the top 10 signs of a major plumbing problem so that you know when it’s time to call a plumber near you.

1. Your House Stinks.

If you wake up in the morning or get home in the evening and smell a foul smell in your home, like rotten eggs, human excrement or sulfur, you may have a major plumbing problem in Gainesville. These are signs of sewer gas seeping into your home, which is harmful to human health if it is inhaled for an extended period of time. The smell of rotten eggs is also indicative of a gas leak. In order to determine the source of the smell, you’ll need to call our plumbers so that they can come out, diagnose the problem and repair it.

2. Your Water Is Discolored.

If you turn on the faucets in your home and see yellow, green or brown water, your pipes may be seriously corroded and about to leak or burst. Having yellow or brown water can be the result of rust in your water pipes. Having green-colored water indicated excessive corrosion in copper water pipes.

3. You Have Multiple Drains that Are Slow.

One slow drain isn’t usually a problem. This can indicate a hair clog, especially if the slow drain is a bathtub or shower, but having multiple slow drains usually indicates that you have a partially blocked sewer line that needs to be cleaned out.

4. Your Plumbing Pipes Are Showing Signs of Wear.

Most homeowners don’t regularly look under their sinks and check the visible pipes in their basements, if they have a basement, but all homeowners should visually inspect all the water pipes they can see at least twice a year for discoloration. Copper water pipes that have white or green discoloration, especially around joints and seams are corroded and slowly leaking. Cast iron and galvanized steel pipes that show red patches are rusting and about to burst.

5. You Have Low Water Pressure.

Homewide low water pressure can indicate a problem with the municipal water supply, or it can indicate that you have a leak on your water main. If your home’s low water pressure is occurring alongside a high water bill, discolored water or signs of damage on your walls, it’s time to call our plumbers in Gainesville in order to find the causes of your low water pressure and fix the problem.

6. You See Discoloration and/or Deteriorating Paint or Wallpaper.

Most water leaks don’t result in a sudden gush of water. Instead, they are usually slow leaks that allow water to drip constantly onto other surfaces. If you see dark rings and/or yellow, black or brown spots on your ceilings or walls, you probably have a water leak. Other signs of a hidden water leak behind a wall include peeling or bubbling paint or wallpaper.

7. You Have an Unexplained Puddle in Your Yard.

If you haven’t had any recent rain and notice a puddle, soft spot or sunken spot in your yard, it usually indicates that your sewer pipe has partially or completely collapsed. In this instance, you will have to have your sewer pipe replaced by one of our professional plumbers in Gainesville.

8. Your Water Meter Is Running for No Apparent Reason.

When no water is flowing in your home, your water meter’s needle or digital output should not be moving or changing numbers. If you’re home alone with all the water fixtures and water-using appliances off and you check your water meter to see that it is running, you have a water leak somewhere in your system and should call a plumber to locate and repair the leak.

9. Your Carpet or Floor Is Wet or Sagging.

If no one has spilled any water on your floors or taken a shower recently and you notice wet spots in your carpet or that your floor is sagging, it usually means you have a slab leak. In homes with concrete slab foundations, the water pipes and drain lines run under and through the slab. If one of those pipes is leaking, the concrete wicks up the water and deposits it on your floors from beneath your home. This can lead to mold, mildew and extensive flooring damage. If the leak goes on long enough, it can even damage your home’s foundation.

10. Your Water Bills Have Inexplicably Increased.

If your month to month water bills are increasing exponentially, and you haven’t changed your water usage, you probably have a leak somewhere in your system. In this instance, it is best to call our plumbers in Gainesville so that they can come out to your home and check for any leaks that may be causing an increase in your water bills.

Getting Plumbing Help From J.W. Freeman Plumbing In Gainesville, FL

If you notice any of these 10 signs of major plumbing problems, call us at 352-316-3229. Our experienced plumber can diagnose water leaks, repair sewer and drain lines and give you tips on how to maintain your Gainesville home’s plumbing system.

J.W. Freeman Plumbing – Local Plumbers Near You | 4637 NW 6th St | Gainesville, FL 32609 | (352) 316-3229 | Map & Directions

4 Plumbing Tips Every Homeowner Needs to Know

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4 Plumbing Tips Every Homeowner Needs to Know
4 Plumbing Tips Every Homeowner Needs to Know

Plumbing Tips Every Homeowner Needs to Know

Here at J.W. Freeman Plumbing, we understand that when you need a plumber “near me” in Gainesville, Florida, you need to quickly locate that plumber and call them in order to get your plumbing problems fixed before your house floods or starts smelling like sewage. There are also a few things you can do before you call to help prevent damage to your home and your plumbing system.

Keep a Sink and Toilet Plunger

Basic clogs in sinks and toilets can usually be cleared with a simple plunger. Our plumbers in Gainesville, FL recommend keeping one plunger in every bathroom and a smaller plunger under each of your sinks, especially your kitchen sink. If you accidentally flush too much toilet paper or have a hair clog in a bathroom sink or food clog in a kitchen sink, a plunger may be able to free the clog so that you can rinse it down the drain and send it on its way to the municipal water treatment plant.

Know Basic Garbage Disposal Maintenance

If your garbage disposal becomes jammed or clogged, there’s a good chance it doesn’t need to be replaced. Garbage disposals have an expected useful life of 12 years, so if your garbage disposal is only a few years old, it can most likely be fixed. To clear a clogged or jammed garbage disposal, you will need a quarter-inch hex wrench or the tool that came with your garbage disposal and a pair of needle-nose pliers. There is a hole on the bottom of the garbage disposal for the hex wrench. If there is an object in the top of the garbage disposal, you will need to remove that with the pliers. Under no circumstances should you ever put your hand in the garbage disposal. If you are uncomfortable working on your garbage disposal, you can always give us a call. Our plumbers would be happy to come out, clear your garbage disposal and give you pointers on how to prevent future clogs and jams and how to perform this basic maintenance yourself.

Watch What You Flush Down Your Toilet

Toilets are often treated as multi-purpose, bulk drains, with people flushing everything from paper towels to fish, food and small toys. Toilets are only designed to deal with human excrement and toilet paper. This means that you should avoid flushing paper products that are not toilet paper, including biodegradable wipes, kitty litter, food and facial tissue, as these things could clog your toilet and cause it to overflow or cause a sewer backup. If you do find yourself in a situation where your toilet is clogged and overflowing, shut the water valve off. Remove the lid and push down on the rubber flap at the bottom of the tank. This will stop the water from flowing into the bowl so that you can deal with the clog. If a regular plunger fails to free the line, give our plumbers a call. We can unclog your toilet and sewer line.

Make Sure You Know Where Your Main Water Cutoff Is Located

Take the time to locate your main water shutoff valve. In most homes, it is either located near the water meter and/or under a metal or plastic panel in your yard. This valve is essential for shutting off the water to your home when you are experiencing a leak that cannot be stopped by shutting the valve near a water fixture. This includes slab leaks, leaks behind walls and leaks located in showers that do not contain shutoff valves. Once you have the water off, it’s time to call our plumbers so that the leak can be fixed and your water service restored.

Getting Plumbing Help From J.W. Freeman Plumbing in Gainesville, FL

If you have a clogged drain, backed up sewer, water pipe leak or another plumbing issue, don’t hesitate to call us. Our experienced plumbers can come out to your home in a timely manner and clear your blocked drain and find and repair leaks.

To learn more about our plumbing services and to schedule an appointment or get emergency plumbing help, call us at 352-316-3229 or email us at jwfreemanplumbing@gmail.com. We serve the entirety of Gainesville and Alachua County, including all areas within a 50-mile radius.

J.W. Freeman Plumbing – Local Plumbers Near You | 4637 NW 6th St | Gainesville, FL 32609 | (352) 316-3229 | Map & Directions

Hot Water Heater Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve Leaking

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A Leaky Temperature and Pressue Valve on a Water Heater

A temperature and pressure relief valve (T&P) is used on residential water heaters to relieve pressure before it reaches dangerous levels. During normal operations of the water heater, water should not be leaking from the T&P valve. If there is any dripping, it means two things – there is an unacceptable amount of pressure in the tank, and the T&P is doing its job by temporarily relieving pressure.

There are several things that might cause a temperature and pressure valve to leak.

The least expensive and most common problem usually a faulty valve. All of our trucks are stocked with these valves and replacement is usually quick and simple.

If the T&P valve has been replaced but is still dripping, the second most common problem is that the water pressure coming into the home from the city is at a PSI that is too high for the spring on the temperature and pressure valve to handle. If this is the case, we will need to replace the pressure-reducing valve to accommodate the PSI. We will also install a T&P valve at the same time as we cannot reinstall used parts. In addition, the old temperature and pressure valve would have been exposed to a higher-than-normal pressure which can cause the spring to go bad soon afterward.

Hot water heaters have a safety device called a temperature and pressure relief valve (a.k.a T&P valve). The T&P valve literally prevents the tank from exploding at high temperatures.

The last and most expensive possibility is that there is a check valve on the water main in the yard that is locking the system. This would mean that as water heats up at the water heater and expands it has nowhere to go and thus drips out of the T&P valve. When this is the case, an expansion tank will need to be installed at the water heater.

In some neighborhoods around Gainesville, all three of these are an issue at once and need to be addressed together. However, we always try not to make repairs that are not necessary so that the customer is not overcharged.

If you see a drip coming from the T&P valve, give us a call. We can point you in the least expensive solution.

J.W. Freeman Plumbing | 4637 NW 6th St | Gainesville, FL 32609 | (352) 316-3229

How to Prevent Outdoor Water Pipes from Freezing and Bursting

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Water Pipes Frozen

There is a good chance that in freezing weather unprotected water pipes will become frozen. On the chance that this happens to you, you may only experience interrupted water service until the water thaws. You could also have a water line rupture and require plumbing repairs. This could even cause property damage if not found soon enough.

Before the cold hits

  • Find the location of your water shut-off valve switch and be certain to test it often.
  • If you have automatic or manual sprinklers, be sure to turn them off and fully drain them.
  • Disconnect all hoses from outdoor faucets and turn the faucets off.
  • If there are pipes that are vulnerable to the cold you should insulate them before a freeze.

If you know a pipe is frozen

    • Thaw the pipe as soon as possible or call a plumber for help.
    • If you do it yourself, shut off the water or test the shut-off valve. You do not want water suddenly gushing from the pipe when it thaws.

Remember: Slowly thaw the pipes, don’t rush things.

  • Pipes warmed too fast may break, so be careful when you thaw them.
  • Do not use a flame thrower. Maybe a hair dryer.

Preventive measures to help your water pipes from freezing

  • Let hot and cold water drip from faucets. The cost is nothing compared to damage from frozen pipes. Also be sure water is not running into open drain that pipe could become frozen.
  • You can open kitchen cabinets and bathroom doors under sinks to help circulate heat to un-insulated pipes.
    Unused rooms with plumbing should be left open for heat to enter.
  • Stop air leaks around windows and doors to stop cold air from entering the house.

If any water pipes do freeze just contact us at (352) 316-3229 and we will get them fixed.

J.W. Freeman Plumbing | 4637 NW 6th St | Gainesville, FL 32609 | (352) 316-3229