Plumbing problems

Start with the meter test before you start guessing. Turn off every water-using fixture and appliance, note your water meter reading, wait two hours with no water use, and read it again. If the number moved, you have a leak somewhere. For toilets specifically, drop food coloring in the tank and wait 10 minutes — color in the bowl means the flapper is leaking.

A dripping faucet at one drop per second wastes more than 3,000 gallons a year. A showerhead leaking 10 drips a minute wastes over 500 gallons a year. Those are worn-washer and worn-flapper problems that cost a few dollars in parts. The EPA estimates fixing easily corrected household leaks can cut about 10% off your water bill.

Some symptoms mean stop and call someone. Sewage smell indoors, sewage backing up into a tub or floor drain, water stains spreading on a ceiling, a sudden unexplained spike in your water bill, or no water at all. Also: if you have a water heater and you see water pooling underneath the tank itself — not the fittings — the tank is failing and it will not get better.

Low water pressure that affects the whole house is different from low pressure at one fixture. One fixture is almost always a clogged aerator or cartridge — a ten-minute fix. Whole-house is a pressure regulator, a partially closed main valve, a municipal supply issue, or mineral buildup in galvanized pipe. Diagnose which one you have before anyone quotes you a repipe.

How to choose

Run the two-hour meter test first

It's free, it takes no tools, and it turns "I think something's wrong" into a fact you can hand a plumber. Do it before you pay anyone to look for a leak.

Isolate one fixture versus whole house

This single distinction rules out most of the expensive diagnoses. Check whether the problem follows one faucet or affects every tap in the building.

Treat repeat clogs as a main-line signal

One clogged sink is a sink. Multiple fixtures backing up, or the same drain clogging every few months, points at the main line — roots, grease, or a belly in the pipe. That's when a camera is worth paying for.

Know your main shutoff before you need it

Find it, label it, and confirm it actually turns. An old gate valve that seizes at the worst moment is a very common and very expensive surprise.

Don't reach for chemical drain cleaner repeatedly

Occasional use is one thing. Habitual use on a recurring clog just delays diagnosis, and it makes the plumber's job more hazardous when they finally open the line. Tell any plumber what you've poured down there.