Frequently Asked Questions

First, remain calm. Try to locate a valve near the break and shut off the water to the area. If you are unable to turn the water off at the break, find your main water valve. This will shut off the water to your whole house. Next, call our office and a live operator will assist you in securing the leak and determine if you need help immediately. If your situation is not an emergency, a member of our team will contact you early in the morning to make the repair.

We do not recommend cleaning tablets. While there is nothing wrong with the deodorizers, after some time the tablet can clog the small jets that allow water to fill the toilet bowl. if this occurs, these jets will need to be cleaned to allow water to properly flow again.

We recommend a strainer or drain cover over the drain dedicated to your washer discharge tube. It also may be helpful to keep a lint sock over your dryer’s discharge line to reduce the lint in the laundry room, as laundry drains often become clogged with lint produced by the washer and dryer.

The main gas line to your home runs underground and then connects to any appliances in your home that are gas powered. This crucial component to your lifestyle and well-being can often be neglected because even aging gas lines rarely need replacing. Damage may occur as a result of nearby construction or a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, but homeowners, otherwise, give their gas lines little thought.

Keep your family safe and your gas lines in good working order with a short list of issues that should not be ignored.

• Schedule an inspection following any natural disaster, such as an earthquake or tornado, that could potentially have compromised your gas line.
• Know where your gas line is located before beginning any digging or construction near your home.
• If you notice a rotten egg odor in or around your home, evacuate and call a professional immediately.
• A hissing sound near a gas-powered appliance could indicate a gas leak. Call a professional immediately.
• Unexplained dead plants in your home or dead grass in a small section of your yard could indicate a gas leak. As inspection may be advisable.

Never attempt to diagnose or repair a gas problem yourself. Faulty installation can easily lead to leaks as a result of loose or ill-fitting valves, so calling a qualified professional is critical. Our technicians are always available to respond to your emergency and address any issue with your gas line or gas appliances.

If your water tank is electric, check if the breaker in your electrical panel has been tripped. If you reset it, and it continues to trip, there may be a problem in the wiring or heating element of the tank. If your water heater is gas operated, check whether the pilot light is out. If this has occurred, read the manufacturer’s instructions for lighting it or call our office for guidance in this process. If the problem continues to occur, there may be a problem with the gas control valve. Our technicians can repair the problem.

Water pipes that are exposed or in close proximity to exterior walls should be insulated to protect them from freezing temperatures. Unfortunately, some vulnerable pipes may be missed or insulation installed years ago breaks down, exposing those pipes to freezing temperatures.

Protect your home by checking water lines that run through unheated spaces, such as attached garages, crawl spaces and attics. Also check unfinished basements, especially for pipes that run up to first floor kitchens or bathrooms via exterior walls. If uninsulated pipes are running through unheated spaces, they are at risk for freezing when temperatures drop to 20 degrees.

Your best protection is to be proactive. Take time before winter to insulate vulnerable pipes and to replace insulation that has deteriorated. You may also add insulation to attics, basements and crawl spaces to trap more heat in these areas.

If freezing temperatures hit before you take these steps, consider the following to avoid frozen and ruptured pipes.

• Open faucets to a slow drip to keep water moving in the supply lines.
• Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow heat from the room to warm the waterlines before they exit to unheated space within walls.
• Keep garage doors closed if water lines run through the garage or along walls adjacent to it whether it is heated or unheated.
• Keep your home heated at daytime temperatures even at night to maintain warmth as outside temperatures drop.
• Use a space heater in vulnerable spaces, unheated rooms or cabinets on outside walls to keep pipes warm. Be sure to plug it into a gfci outlet and never use extension cords or leave it unattended.
• Never set your thermostat below 55 degrees if you will be away during cold weather. Ask a neighbor to stop by occasionally and run your faucets to keep water moving in supply lines.

Frozen pipes?

When pipes freeze, act quickly to get heat to the frozen section. Open the faucet to relieve pressure in the line and use a hair dryer or heating pad at the frozen section to begin thawing. Check the frozen section of pipe carefully for cracks before you attempt to thaw it and be prepared to shut the water off at the main if you begin to see leaking.

The experts at Jeff the Plumber are here to help if you experience a frozen water line. Our team is on call 24-7 to get your water running again and to repair ruptured pipes.

A malfunctioning faucet may be a candidate for repair if, for example, it has begun to drip and needs a new washer, a rubber gasket has cracked or dried out, or a loose handle or pipe connection can be tightened. Consider replacing your faucet if you observe the following:

• The faucet continues to drip after attempted repairs
• The fixture is old, rusted, or moldy, or has significant mineral deposits
• Water pools around the handles
• You are hearing squeaking or clanking sounds, which could indicate cracks in the fixture
• The water pressure is weak or the water has an odor or bad taste from that faucet but nowhere else in the house

If you need help from a professional Jeff The Plumber can repair your faucets for you call us today!

You may have a water leak if:

• Your water bill is unusually high
• You hear running water but no faucet is on
• You see water spots on the ceiling
• There are water stains or mold near the water line

The easiest way to confirm you have a water leak is to make sure all faucets are turned off and no water-consuming appliances are running. Write down the numbers on your water meter, then check again in an hour. If the numbers have changed, you have a water leak. To confirm whether the leak is in your home or in the water line running to your home, shut off the main to your home and again write down the numbers on your water meter. If the numbers have not changed, the leak is in your home. If they have, it is in the buried water line coming to your home.

If you have not noticed dripping or pooling water in cabinets or around water consuming appliances, call Jeff the Plumber to help identify where the water leak is.

Your water tank should be flushed annually to prevent sediment from building up inside the tank. You can do this yourself by attaching a hose to the bottom drain of the unit and running it to a floor drain in your basement. Open the drain about 7 minutes to allow complete clearing of sediment. While this is an easy DIY job, having your water tank or tankless heater inspected annually by a plumber ensures all components are in good working order and lengthens the life of your unit. Most water heaters will need to be replaced every 10 years.

You should consider replacing your water heater if you run out of hot water quickly despite minimal use or you get no hot water at all from a water heater that is aging. Water heaters also may begin making banging noises, produce rusty water, or leak when they are nearing the end of their life.

Garbage disposals generally last 10 to 15 years with minimal maintenance that can be done by the homeowner. Keep yours in good working order by doing the following:

• Avoid putting potato peels, coffee grounds, bones, hard seeds, and oil or grease in your garbage disposal.
• Sharpen the blades periodically by grinding a few ice cubes and then flushing with cold water.
• Descale and clean with one cup of vinegar. Let it sit for one hour and flush with hot water.
• Always use cold water to grind food debris.
• Avoid putting your hand in the disposal if something gets stuck. Use a long wooden spoon to loosen an item and you may need to push the reset button on the bottom of the unit to get it going again.
• Keep your disposal fresh by occasionally grinding up citrus rinds.
• For clogs below the disposal, call Jeff the Plumber.

You should consider replacing your toilet if you notice the following:

• It clogs frequently (once a week or more) and the clogs seem unexplained, random, or odd.
• You need to flush more than once to effectively clear the bowl.
• Water is pooling around the base of the toilet or you notice cracks anywhere on the bowl or tank.
• The toilet wobbles even after you have tightened the bolts in the floor.
• There is excessive buildup of mineral deposits around the inlet hole and syphon tube.