All Things Plumbing & HVAC: The Orange Coast Plumbing Blog

Need to know what’s an emergency and which problems can wait? Which problems you can solve DIY? The Orange Coast Plumbing blog helps you understand common plumbing, heating,  and air conditioning issues.

A nasty slab leak

On a scale of one to ten, a slab leak is the Chernobyl of plumbing disasters.

Not at first, but undetected, the leak grows and spreads, sometimes slowly and at other times in a burst. Untold damage ensues.

That biblical flood in your living room? It points to a slab leak.

A slab leak with mold

If you’ve never heard of a slab leak, join millions of American homeowners.

They’re relatively uncommon but especially devastating. Your first experience with a slab leak may be to return to a flooded and ruined home. Yes, they can go from drip to deluge that fast, and they can be that catastrophic.

Slab leak damage

Plumbing leaks are a nuisance. Some might cause a small amount of damage.

But slab leaks are a different beast; they all but guarantee significant damage to your home. And should a slab leak occur in your home, you’ll need your insurance to help with an expensive and extensive repair.

Slab leak damage

Most homeowners have never heard of a slab leak until a slab leak wrecks their home.

How scary are slab leaks?

Very, if you value your home and property.

Slab leak damage

A high water bill happens for a reason — carelessness with water use, extravagance, or maybe it points to a plumbing problem.

The problem could be minor, like a constantly running toilet you never got around to fixing, or it could be serious, like a slab leak.

Slab leaks often go undetected until a pipe bursts and floods your home, resulting in a costly repair that makes your water bill look like a tip for the barista at Starbucks

Slab leak damage

Most Southern California homes and businesses are built on concrete foundations or “slabs.” Water and sewer pipes run through the foundations unnoticed unless something goes wrong.

That “something” is often a slab leak in or under a building’s concrete slab foundation.

Their location presents particular problems.

A well-trained cat

There are some items you should never flush or try to send down the drain.

Now, we know what you’re thinking: you outgrew the stage of flushing non-flushable items when you were still a toddler. You use common sense, so you shouldn’t have any issues. But the truth is that there are many items you might be flushing or putting down the drain today that you really shouldn’t.

Window AC unit

Condensation dripping off a wall or window air conditioner is nothing out of the ordinary.

We’re used to seeing it outside — a sign the AC unit is doing its job! But what happens when the dripping moves inside, onto the carpet or end table? It’s not so acceptable anymore.

Leaking water heater

When a water heater leaks, it’s usually from one of the places — the top or the bottom.

Leaks from the top are no biggie, usually involving a valve replacement or tightening of the water lines.

Leaks from the bottom are more concerning.

A slow drain

Poor drainage is annoying at best and problematic at worst.

The problem never gets better on its own. Wishing it away won’t make it go away; you may end up with a complete blockage unless you take action.

The first sign of poor drainage is that it takes longer than usual for water to travel down the pipe.

Water may fill the sink, shower, or tub even when the drain is open or look different as it goes down.

A clogged pipe

Trees have vast and complex root systems reaching about a third of the size of the tree itself.

A tree seeks oxygen, moisture, and nutrients in the soil, absorbing them through feeder roots and root hairs into the primary root and eventually the trunk, branches, leaves, etc.

During a drought, tree roots spread out wider than ever. They hone in on your sewer pipe like a honey bee seeking nectar.

Even in a treeless yard, roots in sewer lines can be a problem. The roots may come from shrubs or a tree in another yard.

Unusual toilet repairs

Don’t try this at home!

Except that people have used these unusual techniques — and more — to fix a leaky toilet until they could call a plumber or run to the hardware store for a replacement part.

Hey, you can manage without a kitchen sink for a day — there’s always takeout — or a shower, but the toilet? It’s the one plumbing fixture you can’t do without, especially if there’s only one in the house or apartment. There are no alternatives.

An old flapper that no longer seals, a broken or twisted flapper chain, or a malfunctioning float can cause untold misery for our good friend John, so here are just a few of the imaginative, funny, and sometimes crazy things people have done to keep him in the game.