Keeping your home in fully functional order can be interrupted by undetected pipe leaks. Moisture in unnecessary areas in your home can rack up repair costs and make living in your home uncomfortable. Water leaks can ruin your insulation, foundation, flooring, and more. S&B Plumbing wants homeowners to know how to deal with plumbing problems and water leaks until the professionals can get there. Knowing how to find a water leak will help keep your home intact and give you enough time to contact our professionals. 

1- New Appearance Of Mold Or Mildew

Moisture is a key ingredient for mold and mildew to thrive. If you are noticing mold or mildew growth in unusual places, this could be an indicator of a leaky pipe in the vicinity. While mold growth may not be the exact place where the pipe is leaking, it can help you find it faster or help a plumber know where to start looking. 

2- Your Water Bill Has Increased

An easy way to find a water leak in your home is to watch your water bill. Continued increases in the bill could mean that water is being used without your knowledge. Pipes that are broken or leaking can waste more water than you realize and need to be fixed to improve your utility bills. Pipe leaks often have easy fixes, but if you don’t have the skills to fix them, they can get complicated quickly. S&B Plumbing can be to your house quickly and perform restorative actions on your plumbing system. 

3- Hearing Sounds Of Dripping Water

If you are hearing running water or dripping, you will want to locate the source. Not only to stop the leak but also to avoid frustration against the noise. Dripping may not seem like it wastes much water, but over time, undetected leaks can cause major havoc and high costs over time. Slowly dripping water is a sign of a leaky pipe. Low water pressure or dripping from your faucets can mean problems in your plumbing system and will require you to call our team at S&B Plumbing. 

4- Puddles Forming Near Walls

Standing water near your walls can cause mold growth, warping, deterioration, and foundation problems. Puddles inside your home are inconvenient to deal with. Cleaning up water constantly or replacing insulation is not normal maintenance in your home and should be addressed quickly. Improving your plumbing system starts with an efficient plumber. 

5- You Notice Unusual Odors

Strong odors are usually an indicator of unwanted substances. Sewage pipe leaks can take over your home quickly. The good news is that finding an odor can help locate the problem sooner. If you have a water leak, odors may take longer to appear. Having regular plumbing inspections will help you stop a leak before it becomes overwhelming. 

6- Make Sure To Inspect The Yard

Oftentimes, the root problem is not located inside your home, but rather in the plumbing underneath your yard. If you are working to find a water leak you will need to evaluate the yard for patches of the lawn that are over-saturated, patches that are growing faster than others, or standing water long after you have finished watering. 

When you find a water leak in the internal plumbing it may need large equipment to dig and find the problem. Fully fixing the problem can also cost you a lot of money, but the sooner it is repaired, the sooner your plumbing is back to full force. 

7- The Food Coloring Trick

Toilets are often a common culprit for leaks. Luckily you can use this trick to find the source of the leak. Removing the toilet tank lid, pour in a few drops of coloring, and wait for about 30 minutes. If color is coming into the bowl, you likely are losing water through the toilet flapper. Improving this will help you conserve water and save you from more serious plumbing problems in your home. 

Contact S&B Plumbing

Emergency situations like excess moisture need to be handled in a timely manner and S&B Plumbing is the only plumber that reaches your home quickly. Our team has become a trusted name in Utah homes to help improve plumbing in an effective manner. We can help you find a water leak inside your home and improve water pressure, or replace pipes. When you work with S&B you and your home are treated like our own and we give you the best customer service possible. No matter the plumbing problem or how old your plumbing system is, we can take care of you. Contact our technicians today!

Are you noticing rust stains start to appear on your toilet, sink, or bathtub? What can be causing this and how do you get rid of them for good? Rust stains are not only stubborn but they make your home look unkempt and unprofessional. S&B Plumbing knows that on surfaces like these, rust is more than likely to happen, so here are some tips to remove rust stains from your kitchen or bathroom surfaces safely. 

What Causes Rust Stains?

The first factor to consider is the cause of your unwanted rust because knowing the cause can help you choose the method cleaning method, or help remedy the problem in the future. Uncoated metal surfaces are susceptible to rust stains, which is why when you leave your razor or other bath products on the side of the tub, a rust ring appears. For other surfaces like toilet bowls, bathtubs, and inside the sink, the culprit is usually extra iron in your water. Some iron particles can come from rusty pipes or rusty water heaters, or the iron content in your city’s water might be high. 

If you leave in an area with hard water, you may experience more rust because the minerals in the water will cling to more iron bacteria causing it to stick to these surfaces. If the cause of your rust stains is hard water, they will continue to come back after cleaning. So the best way to remove rust stains that are caused by hard water is to implement a water-softening system. 

Use Citric Acid

Using citric acid from lemons, grapefruits, or even just lime juice can help remove rust stains. Slice the fresh fruit in half and coat the cut edge in salt. Use baking soda as a gentle abrasive to remove rust stains. 

If you are using a liquid like lemon juice or lime juice, make a paste with some water and baking soda and use a scrub brush or old toothbrush to apply it. 

White Vinegar

The acid in white vinegar is another great option to help remove rust stains. It is best to use cleaning vinegar over food-grade white vinegar, but it can still be used. If you are going to clean weekly, spray the vinegar with a spray bottle that is only used for this purpose. Use a scrub brush to help remove rust. 

For older more stubborn stains in your toilet bowl, empty the bowl of all water and pour undiluted vinegar into the bowl and let it sit for a significant amount of time, even overnight. Then scrub well and rinse with fresh water. 

Gentle Abrasives

Using gentle abrasive scrubbers or cleaning solutions can scratch the porcelain surface of your toilet, bathtub, or sink. If you need something a little stronger to scrub the rust, using baking soda, table salt, or pumice powder can be used with water to remove rust stains. Pumice stones are a natural volcanic rock that can also be used to scrub these surfaces without scratching them. 

Use Commercial Rust Removers

To make cleaning easier, rust stains can be removed with commercial cleaning products. Before using these, make sure to turn off the water supply and apply the cleaners directly to the stains. Make sure to read how abrasive or harsh the cleaners are and if they are recommended for your surface. Some commercial removers include Iron Out, Rust-oleum rust remover, and Evapo-Rust super safe rust remover. When using these products or any cleaning product for rust stains, make sure to wear gloves or other protective equipment. 

Work With S&B Plumbing

While our plumbers may not be the first people you think of when it comes to removing rust stains, we can help give advice to clients on how to prevent rust or what products you can use. Having regular plumbing checkups will help you be able to know if you have rusty pipes, rust in your water heater, or if you have a high iron count in your home’s water supply. Our plumbers can help replace plumbing and rusty water heaters so that you can limit the amount of rust that stains your surfaces. 

S&B Plumbing has worked hard to have many happy customers and become a respected member of the community. Being a family-owned business, we know how important your home is to you, so we treat your home and time with respect. Whether you have emergency plumbing issues, clogged drains, or old plumbing, S&B can help improve your plumbing system.