Plumbing Problems by Symptom
Start from what you notice, not from the name of a part. Each row opens the page that reads that sign and a request that already names the matching service.
Water spreading right now or sewage rising: skip the reading and start at Emergency Plumbing. A gas odor: leave the building first and call 911 and your gas utility from outside. Everything below is for the problem that can wait long enough to be understood first. If you need the main valve, learn where it is before you need it.
A sound
- Banging or knocking in the walls when a faucet or an appliance shuts off. Banging Pipes: Hammer, Rattle or Knock. Each Has a Fix Request a quote →
- Gurgling from a drain or a toilet, on its own or when something else runs. Gurgling Drains: What the Sound Is Trying to Tell You Request a quote →
- Rumbling, popping or whining from the water heater. Water Heater Noises Decoded: Rumble, Pop, Whine, Bang Request a quote →
A smell
- Sewer odor indoors, in one room or all over (a rotten-egg smell near a gas appliance is the gas case above, not a drain question). Sewer Smell in the House: Track It to Its Source Request a quote →
The color of the water
- Brown, yellow, cloudy or blue-green water at some taps or all of them. Discolored Tap Water: Read the Color, Find the Cause Request a quote →
A stain, a wet spot or a bill that jumped
- A stain or a wet spot on the ceiling. Water Stain on the Ceiling: Read the Mark Before You Cut Request a quote →
- A water bill that climbed with no change in habits. Why Is My Water Bill So High? Find the Leak in an Hour Request a quote →
- A meter that keeps moving with everything in the house off. How to Read Your Water Meter (and Catch Leaks With It) Request a quote →
Hot water
- No hot water, or not enough, or it runs out fast. No Hot Water? The Troubleshooting Map by Heater Type Request a quote →
Pressure and flow
- Weak pressure at one fixture or through the whole house. Low Water Pressure Diagnosis Request a quote →
Cold weather and storms
- A pipe that froze, or pipes that freeze every winter. Frozen Pipes: Prevent Them Right, Thaw Them Safely Request a quote →
- A sump pump you are not sure will run when the storm comes. How to Test Your Sump Pump (Before the Storm Does) Request a quote →
Every guide above ends at the service page for the visit it points to; the full library, grouped by kind, is on the Guides page.