While some plumbing problems like a clogged sink or clogged toilet might not need immediate attention, other plumbing issues like a burst pipe or water line break will require you to call for emergency plumbing services in order to prevent damaging your home more severely.

The team at Spindletop Plumbing help home and business owners with common plumbing emergencies affecting their plumbing systems. Read below to determine if you need to call an emergency plumber for your plumbing repairs.

5 Time to Call a Plumber ASAP

Main Water Line Break or Leak

There are two kinds of water main breaks. First, the public delivery line itself could break. Second, the delivery line from the public main that brings water to your home could break.

In the case of the former, it’s not your issue. The municipality where you live is responsible for fixing that. When it comes to the latter, you’re responsible. Water main breaks of any type are, at once, both spectacular and frightening. They call for major repairs and heavy equipment to fix, often requiring the digging up of your property. As such, they demand top expert professionals and are certainly not do-it-yourself jobs.

Water main leaks are only marginally less serious — and still require immediate attention. If left alone, they can become water main breaks. They, too, require heavy equipment and digging.

These water main issues are the biggest jobs any plumber will ever tackle. Depending on the age of your house, it might even be a good idea to replace decades-old pipes with newer, tougher pipes. In any event, an expert professional plumber will be able to advise you.

Sewer Line Issues

While water mains bring the water to you, sewer lines take it back out again. Sewer lines won’t explode with a geyser of Old Faithful proportions, but related problems are usually … disgusting. Most of the time, however, sewer line issues amount to simple blockages. If you put stuff down the toilet that doesn’t belong — including the misleadingly named “flushable wipes” — then a sewer clog will happen eventually. Even if you don’t, you still might need an expert professional plumber to come clean the lines.

In some cases, however, sewer main pipes need replacing, particularly in older homes where clay pipes were the norm. Cast-iron pipes will likely last forever, but the clay pipes may chip or break, leaving you with a disagreeable problem. While having sewer main pipes replaced, it’s usually also a good idea to have all the connecting pipes checked, too. In the worst-case scenario, the sewer line cannot be cleared and must be replaced. In these cases, it’s usually a good idea to get more than one professional plumber’s opinion.

Expensive Water Bill

Sudden increases in your water bill can result from a variety of reasons. A drip a second from a single faucet adds up to just under 6 gallons daily. Normal use for a family of four is about 200 gallons daily. Over the course of a month, that will be 6,180 gallons instead of 6,000 — and that extra 180 gallons adds up over time. The weather can also impact your bills; dry weather increases water usage as you strive to keep your lawn from dying. Extra people living in your home also results in more water usage.

Your utility may use estimates for your bill based on previous consumption. If they’ve estimated low, then you might see a sudden spike as the bill “catches up.” Installing water-saving fixtures and other such devices can offset a rising bill or reduce a static bill. It’s also good for the environment to use less water.

Downspout Issues

While pipes and fixtures can cause problems at or below ground level on your property, faulty downspouts can be problematic both below and above ground. If they become disconnected or the connections become stressed or broken, water can seep down around the foundation. This can cause sweating walls and foundation damage below the ground. Sweating walls, not to mention water that seeps out of the foundation, will result in a wet basement.

If downspouts become clogged, they might overflow back into the gutters, which then causes the gutters to overflow. That’ll contribute to your “water-in-the-basement” problem. Overflowing gutters can also adversely affect the wood to which they’re connected, as well as the soffits, fascia and shingles near the overflow point. Even if you clean your gutters, if you don’t clean your downspouts, you might wind up with gutters that fall off your home.

Wet Spots on the Lawn

Wet spots and standing water on your lawn can be minor or serious. Minor grading problems can cause puddles that aren’t overly dangerous unless the grade slopes backward toward the house; if it does, it causes the same kind of problem as bad downspouts. Major problems include leaking or otherwise damaged septic systems, leaking sewer mains or even leaking water mains. All of these should be handled immediately so that they don’t turn into utter disasters.

Some standing-water problems can be whisked away with a few shovelfuls of dirt and some new sod. Others require a backhoe, a full team of expert plumbing professionals — and a lot of money. It pays to have your property periodically checked to avoid an unwelcome surprise.

Affordable Plumbers in Port Arthur, TX

At Spindletop Plumbing LLC, nothing means more to us than the happiness and satisfaction of our customers. We are a state-licensed and insured, locally owned, service and repair plumbing company located in Nederland, Texas.

Our skilled and experienced staff offers a wide range of reliable plumbing services to both residential and commercial spaces. We proudly serve the many communities of Southeast Texas, including Beaumont, Bridge City, Groves, Lumberton, Mauriceville, Orange, Port Arthur, Port Neches, Silsbee, and Vidor. From small repairs to major reconstructions, our team is here to find the best plumbing solutions for your space.

Contact us today to learn more about the services we offer and how we can increase the functionality of your space.

 

Spindletop Plumbing
409-748-5186
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