5 Plumbing Problems You Should Never Ignore

Most homeowners have a mental list of things they mean to deal with eventually — the dripping faucet, the slow drain, the toilet that runs a little longer than it should. Some of those things genuinely can wait. Others look minor on the surface but are silently causing damage that gets more expensive by the day.

Here are five plumbing problems that should move to the top of your list.

1. A Running Toilet

A toilet that runs continuously after flushing seems like a nuisance, not an emergency. But a running toilet can waste more than 200 gallons of water per day. That's over 6,000 gallons a month added to your water bill for a problem that typically costs very little to fix. The usual culprit is a worn flapper that's no longer sealing properly, a faulty fill valve, or a float that's set too high. These are quick repairs that a plumber can resolve in under an hour.

2. Low Water Pressure Throughout the House

If you're seeing low water pressure at a single faucet, the aerator is usually clogged with mineral deposits and can be cleaned or replaced easily. But if water pressure is low throughout the entire house, that's a different story. It can signal a significant leak somewhere in your water line, a failing pressure regulator, or — in older homes — galvanized pipes that have corroded to the point where they're restricting flow. Any of those underlying issues will only get worse if left unaddressed.

3. A Wet Spot in the Yard That Never Dries Out

A persistently soggy or unusually green patch of lawn — especially one you haven't watered — is a common sign of a leaking underground water line or a failing sewer line. Underground leaks can go undetected for months while steadily eroding your foundation, saturating the soil, and allowing contaminated water to reach your yard. Video camera inspection is the most reliable way to diagnose what's happening below ground without excavating blindly.

4. Discolored Water

Brown or rusty hot water points to corrosion inside your water heater tank — a sign the tank is failing and replacement is coming soon. If both hot and cold water are discolored, the issue may be in your pipes themselves, particularly if your home has older galvanized steel lines that have been corroding from the inside out. Either way, discolored water should be evaluated promptly, both for the sake of your plumbing system and the water you're drinking and cooking with.

5. Any Sign of a Gas Leak

This one belongs at the top of every list. If you smell a sulfur or rotten egg odor near your gas appliances or anywhere in your home, leave the house immediately without turning any lights or switches on or off. Call your gas utility from outside, then call a licensed plumber for the follow-up inspection and repair. Gas leaks can cause explosions and carbon monoxide poisoning — there is no threshold at which this becomes something to investigate on your own.

Even if you're not certain it's gas — if something smells wrong, act as if it is. The stakes are too high to wait and see.

When in Doubt, Call

A licensed plumber can look at something in fifteen minutes and tell you whether it's urgent or can wait. That conversation costs you nothing and saves you from guessing. The plumbing problems that turn into expensive disasters almost always started as something a homeowner thought they could deal with later.

Don't wait for a small problem to become a big one. John Lockwood Plumbing serves Rochester and the surrounding area. Call (585) 265-0736 any time — including after hours for emergencies.