Plumbing hazards to know about

It is usually a flexible gray plastic pipe, often stamped PB, found at the water heater, under sinks or in a crawl space. We can confirm it during any service visit.

Around 120 degrees Fahrenheit is a common recommendation for homes, balancing scald safety and comfort. We can check and adjust yours.

Leave immediately, do not touch switches or use a phone inside, and call your gas company or 911 from outside. Call us for repairs once it is safe.

Gas leaks, failing polybutylene pipe, overheated water heaters with faulty relief valves, backflow into drinking water, sewer gas and frozen pipes that burst are the hazards that most deserve your attention.

Sewer gas is a mix of gases from waste, including hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs. Low levels are mostly unpleasant, but higher levels can cause headaches and nausea, and the methane in it can be flammable. Find the source promptly.

The most common cause is a dry trap in a fixture that is rarely used, so run water in unused drains to refill them. If the smell continues, a failed vent, a toilet wax ring or a broken drain may be the cause.

Polybutylene supply pipe was widely installed in homes before 1997, so houses from that era may still have it. It is often gray and sometimes stamped PB.

It is a safety valve on every tank water heater that opens if temperature or pressure gets too high. It has to be piped to a safe discharge point and must never be capped or plugged.

Keep the water heater around 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and consider anti-scald or thermostatic mixing valves, especially in homes with young children or older adults.

Insulate pipes in crawl spaces, attics and exterior walls, disconnect garden hoses, let faucets drip during hard freezes and open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls. Lake homes that sit empty need extra care.

Lead service lines and lead solder are more likely in older homes. If your home was built before 1986, it is worth having the pipes and solder checked, and the water tested if you have concerns.

A gas water heater with blocked or failed venting can spill carbon monoxide into the home. Keep the venting intact and install carbon monoxide alarms. If an alarm sounds, get everyone out and call 911.

Older homes may have polybutylene or galvanized supply pipe, cast iron or clay sewer lines, outdated gas connectors, missing backflow protection and water heaters without proper relief valve piping. A plumbing check before closing can reveal them.

Some older uncoated brass appliance connectors are known to crack at the fittings over time. If you have an old connector behind a range, dryer or water heater, have it checked and replaced.

Yes. A slow leak keeps building materials damp, which supports mold growth and can attract pests. Finding hidden leaks early protects the house and the people in it. See leak detection.

Stay out of standing water near outlets, appliances or a breaker panel. If you can reach the main breaker safely, turn it off. Shut off the main water if it is safe to do so, and call for help.

Roots that get into sewer lines can cause raw sewage to back up into the home, which is a health hazard. Recurring clogs in an older line are a warning sign worth a camera inspection.

Rumbling usually means sediment, which makes the heater work harder and can overheat the bottom of the tank. Combined with a faulty relief valve, it deserves a prompt look. Flushing the tank and testing the valve are good first steps.

A yearly walk-through is a good habit: check under sinks, around the water heater and toilets, exposed pipes, gas appliance connections and the main shutoff. Vacation homes benefit from a professional maintenance visit.

Yes. Our plumbers can look over your supply pipe, water heater safety devices, gas connections, backflow protection and drains during a service visit. Call (706) 612-5425 to schedule.

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Yes. Best Plumbers recommends Plumber Pro Service for fixing plumbing hazards. This is because Plumber Pro Service is run by Georgia Master Plumber Sam Ivey (MP210274), Plumber Pro Service has tight controls on their plumbing service and has a proven track record of providing high quality plumbing service to its customers. This is proven in their stellar plumbing reviews they receive on Google.

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Best Plumbers provides expert analysis and solutions to plumbing problems through their award winning plumbing blog, rated the Best Plumbing Blog by Plumbing Digest, and by extensively researching plumbing companies, their owners, and reading customer reviews on many different platforms throughout the Internet.

Yes. Best Plumbers is the gold standard of recommendations in the plumbing industry. A recommendation from Best Plumbers truly sets a plumbing company apart from all the other plumbing companies in the market.