water leak Archives - Bert Norman's Plumbing

5 Reasons You Need A Plumber | Jacksonville, FL

Posted on January 21, 2023January 23, 2023 by Bert Norman

There are some house tasks that you can take care of on your own and some tasks that are better left to the professionals. When it comes to any plumbing issues, it is almost always better to consult first with a plumber. Plumbing tasks come with the added stress of potential water damage, so they are not something that should be taken lightly. Not to mention the cost of wasting water and how quickly a simple leak or running toilet can add up and make your utility bills unexpectedly high.

As mentioned, the problem with plumbing issues in your Jacksonville, FL, home is the risk of flood damage. It doesn’t take too much water to cause dry rot or other issues with your flooring, walls, or ceiling. Even worse, you could have hidden water damage that you cannot see now but is associated with the small leak you just spotted. A plumber knows where there is one leak, there is often another, especially if pressure irregularities or aging are to blame.

That is unfortunately not the end of the story, however, because water causes more than just damage to your home. It also creates the right environment for mildew and mold to form. In fact, it only takes a few drops of water for mildew to start to grow, and if the leak is in a dark, damp environment, as most leaks are since they are under sinks or inside of walls and floors, then you can have a mold outbreak growing under your nose. Not only is mold stinky, but it is a health issue and an allergen for many people, which is just one more reason why you need to call a plumber out to your Jacksonville, FL home if you think that you have a plumbing issue.

With that in mind, the first step is figuring out when you need a plumber, which doesn’t have to be a hard task if you know what you are looking for. The following list is a quick list of the top times you need to call a plumbing company. If you see any of these things occurring in your home, go ahead and call a plumber so you can get it figured out before you end up needing an emergency plumbing service. It is always better to deal with a plumbing issue when it is just a small nuisance versus a much larger one. While it is not a complete list, it does manage to hit some of the biggest issues you will probably hit.

Water Heater Issues (No Hot Water)

The number one way that people figure out their water heater needs attention is because they lose their hot water. 9 out of 10 times, if you don’t have any hot water, it is because your water heater needs to be repaired. You don’t have to wait until your water heater dies, however, note that it could need to be repaired and other signs occur before the water stops heating. For instance, if you notice pressure issues or that the water temperature of your hot water seems to fluctuate on a regular basis, this is a sign that something is going on with your water heater. Usually, it indicates that there is sediment building up, which you will have to address at some point.

Leaks

Another obvious issue that indicates you need to call a plumber if you notice any leak anywhere in your home. You might seek leaks under a faucet, around the toilet, at the water heater, and in dozens of other areas around your home. If water runs through an area, then there is always a risk that there could be a leak there. Regardless of where you note the leak, there is nothing that should be leaking. Ignoring a faucet leak can cost you hundreds of dollars a year, and ignoring a leak under a sink can lead to floor damage. In short, if you see a leak, you always need to call for help.

Clogs in Drains

Another issue that requires immediate attention is a clog in any of your drains, and keep in mind that a toilet clog counts. There are several different reasons why you might have clogs in your drains, from tree roots that obstruct your sewage lines to improper sewage habits like using flushable wipes or dropping water-soluble things down your drain. Whatever the reason, a plumber can get to the bottom of it and get your drains flowing regularly again.

Sewage Smells

There are two reasons why you might smell sewage in your home, and neither are great situations. The first is if you have a partial blockage and the methane gas is coming back up your pipes. This is why some drains may smell like sewage when you walk by. The other is because you actually have a sewage backup in your floor drain, which can be a very unwelcome discovery. In both scenarios, you will need a plumbing company to help resolve the issue.

Appliance Installation

A lot of people don’t think about calling a plumber when they purchase a new appliance, but there are actually a fair amount of appliances that need to be hooked up to your plumbing system. Refrigerators with ice machines, garbage disposals, water heaters, and dishwashers must be hooked to the main plumbing line. Depending on where you place these items, a new plumbing outlet might even need to be established. Therefore, this is a great task to call a plumber for assistance with so you can ensure everything is done correctly and there won’t be a leak hiding behind the installed appliance.

If you are searching for a plumbing company in Jacksonville, FL, contact Bert Norman’s Plumbing and we will help you fix any issue promptly.

Photo By: brazzo at iStock

General Plumber Issues: Signs Of A Damaged Water Line | Jacksonville, FL

Posted on June 3, 2021June 6, 2021 by Bert Norman

Photo By Zachary Hoover at Shutterstock

The average water leakage in homes can trigger wastage of about 10,0000 gallons of water annually, and approximately 10 percent of households experience leaks that can lead to nearly 90 gallons of water misused every day. Homeowners may experience wall or ceiling damages and hiked water bills without timely repairs on the damaged water lines. Getting some insights about signs of a damaged waterline will help you know when to contact a plumber to fix the mess and save you some cash in the long run.

Additionally, water facilitates multiple household activities, which may include cleaning, washing, and preparing meals. With the help of the waterline and your home’s plumbing systems, water used in your homes can reach bathroom shower heads, kitchen faucets, or toilets. Waterlines are found a few feet underground, and a glitch in the connection due to physical damage could cause inconveniences. Mentioned below are some of the signs of a damaged water line in Jacksonville, FL.

Low Water Pressure

In some scenarios, low water pressure may happen due to factors that are out of your control. For instance, it could be due to a damaged main water line at your local water supply station, an issue that a plumber at the station may fix. Weak water pressure makes showering or washing dishes annoying and time-consuming. Additionally, defects in the waterline, including ruptured or clogged pipes, may lower the water pressure that reaches your home. Regardless, low water pressure issues require the attention of a certified emergency plumber for quick and impactful solutions.

Water in Your Yard

Heavy rains may cause puddles of water to accumulate in your yard, creating soggy and wet patches in your garden. However, if there has been no rain in your area for some time and you notice a wet patch in your yard, there might be a bigger problem underground. In many cases, it’s the damaged waterline that requires the attention of a professional. If not addressed early, the patches can cause slip and fall accidents or attract disease-causing insects, including mosquitoes, into your home. Unfortunately, it can in turn lead to high health care bills if you get injured or contract a disease.

Hiked Water Bills

Locating a water line leakage is practically a tough task to conduct, especially if the leakages are minute. These small leakages can be costly since they can result in cumulative water wastage in the long run. The unexplained increase in the cost of your water bill is a sign that your water line or plumbing system is experiencing troubles.

If all the visible plumbing fixtures in your home are in perfect working condition, it could mean there’s something fishy underground. You can consult with a professional to troubleshoot the issue before your pockets become drained because of expensive and abnormal water bills.

Dirty Water From the Supply Pipe

A broken underground waterline can accumulate dirt resulting in a supply of contaminated and foul-smelling water into your home. If your water has some rusty tint, then this indicates that your pipes could be corroded, and in most cases, corrosion occurs in worn-out pipes. The discolored water is unsafe for drinking and cooking purposes and can even stain your super white clothes. So it’s vital to get immediate repair or replacement services from a trusted plumber depending on the extent of corrosion.

Bubbling Water Sounds

Whistling, bubbling, or hissing sounds coming from pipes connected to your home’s water line could indicate the presence of a defect. The sounds could arise from cracks or holes on the surface of the pipes. You should be on the lookout for any sounds coming from areas likely to experience water leaks. Afterward, you can book an appointment with a plumber to inspect the system and determine and fix the exact leaking spots causing the strange noises.

Unexpected Pests Infestation

A damaged waterline attracts pests and insects such as roaches, sewer flies, or palmetto bugs. To make matters worse, it might create a negative picture about your hygiene in the presence of your visitors. Also, when your water main leaks, all the water leakages collect somewhere else, a place that may be unhygienic. Moreover, insect infestations can result in possible health problems and allergic reactions due to allergens found in their saliva or fecal matter.

When you or your family members experience frequent digestive problems, especially after eating leftover meals, It could be a sign the insects are present in your home. In addition to that, the pests could have come from the main pipe connected to your house. It could be a sign that your waterline has some issues and requires an immediate check-up from a professional. Some homeowners may opt for insect control measures but may prove to be ineffective in the long run. After trying out pest control measures and the results aren’t satisfying, you’ll need the assistance of a well-versed plumber to assess your water line and fix the arising problems.

Cracks in the Foundation of Your Home

Leaking water from water lines passing under the foundation of your home can seep through the ground towards the floor of your foundation, generating cracks. When this extends for a long time without a prompt fix from a plumber, the intensified cracks can lead to damaging the structural integrity of your home. At this point, you are at the risk of losing your whole home and sustaining injuries in case the building collapses. Ensure your water line is checked frequently by a trained plumber to prevent major damages and losing your cherished home.

Wet Spots on Your Ceiling

Wet floors and damp or bubbling patches on ceilings and walls are some signs of a hidden leak. The presence of a leak in your foundation results in water leaking up through the walls of your basement. Sometimes the high humidity in your homes may be triggered by a broken water line. It creates a favorable environment for mold growth on your walls and sometimes in parts of the house without plumbing fixtures. You should contact a professional to assess your water line and fix arising defects to save your ceiling from total damage.

Bert Norman’s Plumbing; A Trusted Plumbing Service Company in Jacksonville, FL

Family-owned and operated, Bert Norman’s Plumbing provides waterline services to homeowners in Jacksonville, FL. Our skilled plumbers offer multiple water line solutions, including new installations, pipe section replacements, and leakage detection and sealing. We will be glad to help if you have any water line emergencies in your home. All you need to do is call us.

Common Causes Of Ceiling Leaks: Call A Plumber | Fernandina, FL

Posted on April 9, 2021April 19, 2021 by Bert Norman

Photo By AndreyPopov at istock

Most people happily ignore their ceilings, but when they are sitting on the first-floor and feel a drip hit their head suddenly their attention is focused upwards. Ceiling leaks are a huge problem because not only can they lead to a discolored and ugly ceiling, but they indicate you have a plumbing issue that needs to be remedied immediately. You don’t want to mess around with a ceiling leak because it can compromise the safety of your home and eventually lead to your ceiling rotting out. Unless you want your bathtub relocated into the center of your living room, you need to call a plumber in Fernandina, FL.

The good news is there are a few things you can do to stop the destruction from getting any worse while you wait for the professional to show up at your house. Knowing what to do once you notice a ceiling leak is the first step towards effectively stopping the problem. Not every ceiling leak has to result in panic, but they are not something that you should ignore either. Here is a quick guide to troubleshooting ceiling leaks and understanding why they happen while you wait for the plumbing company to show up.

Signs of a Ceiling Leak

If you haven’t spent a lot of time looking up at your ceiling, now is a good time to do so. There are a lot of signs of a leak that you can spot pretty easily if you know what you are looking for. For instance, you can look for areas of discoloration, watermarks, or blistering paint. Paint that is only peeling or bubbling in one area of your ceiling is a clear sign that you have a leak buried under your ceiling.

It is not uncommon for leaks to be hidden for a long period of time before they start to show signs, so once you start to notice any outward signs it is time to take action and call a plumber. A lot of people figure they have a while since they just noticed it, but most likely the leak did not just happen. It probably happened months ago, but the leak has finally gotten bad enough that you are just seeing it now.

How to Get Ready for the Plumbing Company

If you have already called a professional about your ceiling leak, you may be wondering if there is anything you can do to address the issue while you wait. The simple answer is always yes. While you may not be able to look under your ceiling and see what is causing the leak, you can do a couple of things to guard against further property damage while waiting for the plumber to show up.

First of all, clear the area where the leak is coming from by removing all furniture and personal belongings from around it. Keep in mind that just because the leak is in one spot doesn’t mean it won’t grow as time goes on, so make sure you clear out a large radius to protect everything within touching distance. In addition, check to make sure that you don’t have any electronics near the leak such as plugged-in lamps, phones, or tablets. If you do have an electrical outlet that is in line with the leak consider turning off the circuit breaker for that room until the plumber gets there to investigate.

Clearing out the area is also helpful to the professional since they will now have plenty of space to work in the area. They will usually need to fit a step stool or a ladder into the working area depending on the height of your ceilings, so it can be extremely helpful to have a room cleared out before their arrival.

Once the room is clear, make sure to put a bucket under it to catch the leak. This will prevent your flooring from becoming the next victim of the leak. With any luck, you can contain the water damage to the ceiling which will save you a lot of money in the long run. It will also give you and the plumber a good idea of how much water is leaking which can help with troubleshooting.

Common Causes of Ceiling Leaks

Wondering what may be causing your ceiling leak while you are waiting for the plumber to show up? There are few common culprits that you may be able to stop using while you wait to help minimize the amount of damage that is done. For instance, toilet leaks often come from the supply tank and as a result of a worn wax ring. The wax ring sits around the base of the toilet and stops leaks, but when it starts to wear out water can get around it after flushing causing it to seep through your ceiling. If this is the case, don’t use the toilet until the plumber gets there if you have a second toilet in your home.

Other common issues are ceiling leaks or sink links as a result of tile or flooring start to peel or curl near the shower area. A curled-up tile on the floor may be all it takes for the shower water to leak through. If you notice that the leak only starts before or after using the shower and/or sink this is a clear sign that it stems from this fixture and you need to quit using it until you see the plumber.

Contact a Fernandina, FL Plumbing Company for Help with a Ceiling Leak

Ceiling leaks are not something that you want to play around with. If you notice a ceiling leak call a local plumber who can get to the bottom of the issue right away. Bert Norman’s Plumbing of Fernandina, FL has helped many locals with their ceiling leaks, and we would be happy and come out to help troubleshoot your issue.

Signs You Need a Plumber | Callahan, FL

Posted on April 28, 2020 by bertnorman

Are you thinking about calling a plumber but you’re not sure if that’s really what you need? Maybe you don’t know if a plumber is really going to take care of things for you. Or maybe you think that you can take care of things for yourself. Well, the best thing that you can do is definitely to call a professional if you find yourself in any of the situations that we’re going to talk about below. Your Callahan, FL house definitely deserves someone who knows what they’re doing.

You Have a Leak

If you notice a leak then you should absolutely be calling in a professional. You may notice something that seems minor. For example, you could have a faucet that drips occasionally. That may not seem like a problem or it could seem like a problem that you can take care of yourself. The truth is, it could be a bigger problem than you think. A small leak can actually cost you a whole lot over the long run. Even just a little drip could add up to a whole lot more than you might think.

And if you try to take care of these problems yourself, without calling in a plumber, you could end up with a bigger mess. That’s because the pipes in your home are a whole lot more delicate than you might think. It’s really easy to break something or strip the pipes or a number of other things that could mean an even more expensive interaction with a plumber. You want to make sure that you’re calling a professional to get everything handled quickly and right.

You Have a Clog

Many people think that they can just use a drain cleaner if they have a clog. When it comes down to it, however, you could actually cause more problems than you might think. You want to make sure that you get rid of that clog because it could be causing damage to the inside of the pipes. But if you put a drain cleaner in you may actually be doing more harm than good. That drain cleaner itself may not actually clear the clog. It may just push it down further, where it’s harder to remove. And even if it does help temporarily, that’s going to mean more problems going forward.

Plus, that drain cleaner is made with chemicals and chemicals are bad to have in your home and to put into your drains. If your family gets into them it could be extremely dangerous. If you just pour them down the drain you could corrode your pipes, kill the necessary bacteria in your septic field and definitely cause pollution into the environment. Those chemicals get into the ground and they get into the water and that is all going to cause you a whole lot of problems in the long run. You want to make sure you’re avoiding them and calling a professional plumber instead.

You Want to Change Something

If you have any kind of plumbing needs that you want to change it’s essential that you do something about it the right way. You don’t want to change out faucets and other essentials without getting a professional plumber to help you. They know what they’re doing and how they can help you get things done right. They have a better understanding of how all of those plumbing fixtures actually work and that’s going to be extremely important when it comes to fixing things around your home.

If you want to change something in your home it may seem like it’s not a big deal, but the truth is you could be setting yourself up for some big problems if you don’t call the professionals. After all, they’ve done the training that it takes to really understand the problem. They know how to make sure that the fixtures you swap out are really going to work in your home and how to make sure that they’re set up the right way. On the other hand, you could find yourself with a whole lot of serious problems if you try to do something and make a mistake.

You Don’t Know What’s Wrong

It’s entirely possible that you don’t even know what’s going on with your plumbing. Maybe you’ve noticed that something is different but you’re not really even sure what it is. Well then, calling a plumber can help you figure out the problem. It could be a strange smell, drains that seem to take just a little longer than normal to clear, a gurgling sound when they do drain or anything else at all. All of these are signs that something is wrong and that you need a professional to take care of it.

Keep in mind that a change in water pressure could also be a sign that something is happening. In fact, it could mean that you have a leak somewhere that you don’t even know about. Those kinds of leaks can be the worst and they’re even more important to talk with a plumber about because you’re going to have a bigger mess if they’re left alone. The longer a leak is left to go in your home the worse it’s going to be because it’s going to cause more damage. But a professional can take care of it before you even realize there’s a problem.

If you need a professional plumber to come out to your Callahan, FL home then you need to call Bert Norman’s Plumbing. Our team can come to your home whenever you need us and we can make sure that you’re going to have everything you need taken care of. Whether you’re looking to get your home looked over or you know that there’s a problem already, we can help you. Our team is ready to go and ready to schedule your appointment at any time. Just give us a call and we’ll help you figure out what to do.

Category: water leak