4 Signs That Your Plumbing Needs An Upgrade

If you’re renovating your kitchen, bathroom, or both, that’s a good time to talk to Crofton plumbing services about a major replacement or upgrade to the pipes. The opportunity here is excellent since walls and floors may be torn up anyway, so that’s an excellent chance to get into older plumbing infrastructure and bring them up to modern standards.

However, sometimes you’ll get warning signs from your plumbing that even if you’re not planning a remodel anytime soon, your pipes are already at their limit and may need an upgrade. Here are four signs you should keep an eye out for that it may be time to bring Crofton plumbing services in to help.

Discolored Water

This is an easy symptom. Water is always supposed to be clear and colorless. If you’re only getting colored water from hot water, you know that the issue is probably with your water heating tank if you run that system. However, if the water is discolored in all sources, faucets, toilets, laundry machines, this means that the issue is with the water supply pipe itself.

A common cause of this is corrosion within the water supply pipe. As long as the water is pumped through it, rust particles will continue to travel to every tap or water outlet in the building. Only replacing the pipe will solve this issue.

Leaking Pipes

In the most obvious instances, this will be visible as water stains or damage seen on walls or ceilings where a leaking pipe may allow water to collect. Unfortunately, there are other cases where a leak may occur somewhere that are not easy to discern, such as in a crawlspace.

Leaking pipes that damage walls are easy to locate, but another way you can quickly find out if pipes are leaking is to check your water bill and water meter. If your bill is suspiciously high and you’re sure you haven’t increased water usage, a leak may be responsible. You can often confirm this by turning off all water-using sources in a home and checking the water meter. If it’s still ticking away, showing water usage, you’re paying for a leak every month.

Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure is often a quick, do-it-yourself fix for a single faucet or shower. This usually involves unscrewing a tap and cleaning out an aerator, as the water pressure is acceptable, just blocked at the exit point. However, if the water supply pipes themselves are blocked or constrained somehow, then low water pressure can occur through some or all of a building.

This is another situation plumbers need to conduct an extensive inspection to locate and fix the problem.

Water That Smells

This can be a serious health hazard. As with discolored water, the problem can be traced to a water heater tank if it only occurs with hot water. But if it’s cold water and affects everything from the faucet to the toilet, this indicates a severe build-up of bacteria somewhere in the water pipes.

If you see any of these signs occurring in your building’s water, call professional Crofton plumbing services to investigate and rectify the issue.