Plumbing questions, answered plainly

Shut off the water at the main, or at the fixture's own stop if the leak is isolated. Move anything valuable off the floor, and if water is near outlets or a panel, cut the power to that area. We stay on the phone for that part if you need us to.

In most Louisiana homes it is near the meter at the street, in a box at ground level, or where the supply line enters the house. Find it now and tag it — the middle of an emergency is a bad time to go looking.

Under eight years old with a working tank, repair almost always makes sense. Past twelve years, or with the tank itself leaking, replacement is the honest answer — a leaking tank cannot be repaired. We tell you which situation you are in before quoting.

Usually sediment taking up space in the bottom of the tank, a failed lower heating element, or a dip tube that has broken. All three are repairs, not replacements.

It depends on bathrooms, tub size and how many showers run back to back. Most Louisiana households land on 40 or 50 gallons; larger homes and big soaking tubs need 75 or a tankless unit. We size it rather than guess.

Often it needs a larger line. That is the number one reason tankless installations underperform, so we measure the gas run and the meter capacity before quoting a unit.

Cabling opens a channel through a blockage; it does not clean the pipe wall. If a line clogs again within months, the real cause is usually grease build-up, roots, or a belly in the pipe — jetting or a camera inspection will tell you which.

They damage older pipe, they rarely clear a full blockage, and they make the line dangerous for whoever opens it next. Tell us if you have used one so we can protect ourselves and your pipes.

Often none. A camera and locator mark the exact defect, and where the pipe is otherwise round and continuous, lining or bursting replaces it without an open trench. We price both options when both are viable.

Generally the property owner is responsible from the building to the connection at the city main, though the exact division varies by parish and utility. We check the meter and cleanout first so you are not paying for work that is the utility's.

In sound pipe, yes — pressure and nozzle are matched to the material. In cracked or collapsed pipe it is not, which is exactly why we camera the line first instead of jetting blind.

Shut every fixture in the house and look at the meter. If the dial still moves, water is going somewhere it should not. A jump in the bill with no change in habits is the other common sign.

Not to find it. Acoustic listening, pressure isolation and thermal scanning narrow the location down to a small area first, so any opening we make is as small as the repair allows.

Main shut-off, then open the lowest faucet in the house to drain the pressure out of the system. If you cannot find the shut-off, call (833) 435-9778 and we will talk you to it.

Stop the water first, photograph everything second, call the insurer third. Our invoices document the cause and the repair in the detail adjusters ask for.

Sometimes. If the failure is one spot in otherwise good copper, a small opening and a spot repair is usually cheapest. If the line is failing in several places, rerouting the run overhead avoids the slab entirely.

It erodes soil under the foundation, raises the bill every month, and can lift flooring. It does not get cheaper with time — that is the one thing every slab leak has in common.

A running toilet can waste hundreds of gallons a day, and it is usually a worn flapper or a fill valve — one of the cheapest repairs in the house. It is worth fixing the week you notice it.

If the meter is spinning with the house shut off, the leak is on your side of the meter. If water is pooling at the meter box itself, it may be theirs. We check that before quoting so you are not paying for their pipe.