If you find or suspect a water leak in your home, tracing it to the source quickly is necessary to avoid potential water damage that can get very costly to repair. Identifying the leak’s source depends largely on the type of leak happening. A leaking pipe under the sink is far easier to identify than to find one that is hidden within a wall or in the ceilings.

Check the Water Meter

One of the easiest ways to tell if your home has a water leak is to check the water meter. Go to the water meter, typically located near the main water shut-off of your home. Note exactly where the water meter reads and write it down or take a photo of it with your phone. Confirm that you have a water leak by shutting off your water-using appliances and fixtures. This includes faucets, showers, washing machines and refrigerators. Check back in a few hours, just make sure all the water stayed off. If the reading has advanced, this indicates a leak somewhere in your plumbing system.

Large Appliances

Wherever possible, carefully move appliances to look for the source of the moisture. For example, a loose or damaged water line to a dishwasher will leak water under and around the appliance.

Kitchen & Bathrooms

Open all cabinets under your sinks and clear out supplies and other products so you can more easily examine the space for water, dampness, stains, mold or mildew, and buckled or peeling material. Shine a bright light inside to look for moisture around all the joints and at the bottom of the P trap. Signs of a leaking pipe may also include corrosion on the supply lines, and pipe fittings and valves. If possible, tighten fittings and wipe away any moisture present.

Turn your water back on to see if you still have a water leak problem. Sometimes the leak is in the supply valve or line, and it will be evident when the supply is turned off and then activated again. If this is the problem, have the leaking supply line replaced.

Like any plumbing problem, attending to it quickly can save you a lot of money in repairs. If your house is more than 20 years old, your plumbing system may require a professional inspection.

Floors, Walls & Ceilings

Water leaks can be tricky to find. Try these tips to look for any that may be inside walls, above ceilings, or on the floor:

• Examine the flooring around fixtures and appliances that use water, including toilets, bathtubs, dishwashers, and refrigerators. Cracked or warped flooring or soft, “spongy” spots in the floor most likely mean moisture is present and a possible leak.
• Check the ceilings throughout your home. Stains on the ceiling indicate a leak somewhere coming from above.
• Also examine the walls in your home for water damage, such as bubbled paint, stains and cracks. Leaking water pipes may also leave wet spots on the wall. But the location of this damage is not usually the exact location of the leak. Water may run the length of a broken pipe and pool at a different location in the wall.

Contact us to inspect for, confirm, and repair the leak BEFORE you begin ripping out walls or floors.

Basements & Crawlspaces

Inspect all the exposed pipes you can see in your basement and crawlspaces. Moisture and/or corrosion around the pipes are an easy indicator you have a leak.

If you discover rotted wood, mildew around these pipes, your leak is most likely in this area. Water will travel downward because of gravity, and occasionally the location of water stains is not the exact location of a leaking water pipe. Still, it is a good indicator of the general area of the source of moisture.

Checking Outside the Home

Walk the circumference of your home and check hoses, spigots, and (if you have one) the irrigation system. Just a tiny pinhole leak can account for losing and wasting over 6,300 gallons of water a month.

Call A Trusted, Trained Plumbing Professional

If you have any plumbing problems or concerns at all, give us a call today at (402) 932-3899 or visit our website at anaplumbing.com. Since 2009, A & A Plumbing & Drain Services is the leading plumber serving Douglas and Sarpy counties and surrounding areas. We offer commercial and residential plumbing services, drain cleaning, water heaters, and much more.

There are many benefits of having trees in your yard, including adding value to your home; breaking the cold winter winds to lower your heating costs; and providing food and shelter for wildlife.

Unfortunately, a poorly placed and planted tree can be a hazard to your sewer line.

The roots of trees and shrubs naturally grow toward sewer lines. The sewer pipes can be a bountiful source of water, oxygen, and nutrients that they crave. When a root discovers a sewer line leak, it will rapidly grow and expand into the pipe – and can slow the flow of waste, cause blockages, damage pipes, and other serious problems.

Sewage leaks are unsanitary and have been shown to cause health problems. Repairing the sewer line damage caused by tree roots can be very costly, sometimes thousands of dollars!

The professionals at A & A Plumbing & Drain Services offer the following tips to help you avoid costly repair bills by taking a few steps when planting trees and maintaining your home’s pipes.

• Choose Only “Sewer-Safe” Shrubs & Trees

When planning out your landscaping, educating yourself is the best way to avoid future problems and potentially expensive repair bills. First, limit the number of plants you place near the sewer lines. If you are planning to plant larger trees, be sure they are far enough away from sewer lines so that, as they mature, roots are not within reach of the pipes. If you believe you want a tree closer to a sewer line, select slow-growing trees with a smaller mature root impact area.

• Be Aware of the Warning Signs

In plumbing, there is one thing you can eventually rely on – clogged drain lines. For infrequent clogs, there are often simple solutions to clear a drain that most homeowners may try. But if your drains clog frequently or completely, it could be a sign of a larger problem. Root damage to sewer lines can lead to slow-flowing, clogged, or even overflowing drains – sometimes accompanied by a gurgling noise from the toilet.

• Having an Inspection and Maintenance

When drains clog frequently, are difficult to clear, and emit gurgling noises, call A & A Plumbing & Drain Services to have the drain and sewer lines inspected. We can inspect your drain pipes by running a camera probe through them to look for damage or issues and can (if necessary) recommend repairs or replacement.

To avoid major sewer repairs, we can clean your sewer lines regularly and inspect the structure of the pipe system. Regular maintenance will help prevent root growth inside the pipes. Sewer-line maintenance involves us threading a cable through the sewer pipe that cuts through any clogs or tree roots, clearing the sewer pipe so the sewage can flow freely out of and away from your home.

With more than 20 years of experience, we have been serving first-class residential and commercial plumbing throughout the Omaha metro area. We believe our customers deserve service that is reliable, responsive, and complete, with GUARANTEED satisfaction. If you have any plumbing questions or concerns, call your friends at A & A Plumbing & Drain Services at 402-932-3899 or visit our website www.anaplumbing.com

Like the old saying goes, “March came in like a lamb and therefore is expected to go out like a lion.” And with that, the risk of basement flooding is much higher.

With warmer temperatures in the Omaha metro, the combination of snow melting and frozen ground thawing might lead to basement flooding if your home’s sump pump is not working properly. Unfortunately, many people don’t even think about their sump pump until an emergency has already happened.

Like any appliance or system in your home, it should be inspected regularly to be sure it is in working order. Below is a checklist of our recommendations for you to complete to ensure it’s operational. If there are any issues found from this checklist, we suggest you call your plumber to check it out, and if necessary, remedy the problem or repair the unit.

A home sump pump is an electric water pump used to remove water that accumulates in a water-collecting “sump basin,” most oftentimes found in a property’s basement. Excess water can sometimes enter through the outside drains of a basement waterproofing system, channeling down into the basin or in some cases because of rain or quickly melting snow.

Sump pumps are used where basement flooding has happened and sometimes to solve dampness in cases where the water table is above the home’s foundation. Sump pumps divert water away from the property to where it is no longer a problem. This could be a nearby municipal storm drain or a dry well.

Follow these steps to ensure your pump is operational and ready to keep your home’s lowest level dry and safe:

• Clean the Screen.
  Start by unplugging the pump from the electrical power supply. Disconnect it from the discharge pipe, then lift the pump up and out of the sump. Clear away and spray away any debris that has accumulated on the screen at the pump’s base. Then wipe down and rinse off the housing. If required, lubricate the pump bearings. (Consult your unit’s owner’s manual to be certain.)
• Inspect the Check Valve.
  If the pump’s internal flap doesn’t easily swing free, flush it out with fresh water. If you find mineral deposits, soak it in vinegar. When reconnecting it back to the discharge pipe, be sure the arrow points upwards.
• Test the Unit’s Float Switch.
  To test that the automatic switch kicks on when water enters the sump, pour a few gallons of water into the sump. If it automatically kicks on and sucks out the water, the floater switch (and pump) are operating properly. If not, contact your plumber to repair or replace the switch.
• Check Your Outlet.
  Building codes require that all sump pumps must only be plugged in to a GFCI receptacle. This is the type of outlet with a built-in circuit breaker which will shut it off if it becomes wet. For your safety, check it by pressing its test and reset buttons.
• Battery Backup
  It’s a good idea to consider having an uninterrupted power supply in case you lose power to your home when you need the sump pump. If you already have a backup battery, see if it’s the type of unit that needs to have its cells full. If it is, and the cells are low, fill them with distilled water, as needed.

A sump pump is a small investment for a home that could face serious water issues from high ground water level, or the possibility of melting ice and snow, or our very common heavy rain storms Nebraska and Iowa face each year. If you don’t have a sump pump, but have experienced water in your basement (or just want peace of mind), call A & A Plumbing & Drain Services at               (402) 932-3899 to assess your situation and give you an estimate.