Plumbing guide from iLikeTo Fix

Plumbing problems and what to do first

Low pressure, slow drains, leaking water heaters, slab leaks and repipes. Find the symptom you are seeing, check what you can yourself, and know what a fair repair looks like before you call a plumber.

36 plumbing problems, each named by the symptom you see

Sorted by the decade your house was built

Checks to run yourself and what fair repair costs look like

Find your problem Checks to run first

36 problemsEvery plumbing problem we cover, on this page

4 house erasPre-1940, 1940–80, 1980–2000 and since 2000

Checks firstWhat to rule out before anyone comes out

Fair costsWhat the work costs, and what not to pay for

1Find your problem

Start with the decade your house was built. The same symptom has different causes in a 1930s house and a 2010s one, so each era lists the plumbing problems that concentrate there.

Before about 1940 1940 to 1980 1980 to 2000 Since 2000

Homes built before about 1940

Galvanized supply, cast iron drains, cloth-wrapped wiring, ungrounded circuits.

All plumbing in homes built before about 1940

Pressure drops at every fixture at once Every drain in the house is slow, not just one Rusty water only on the first draw The main shutoff will not turn Sewer backs up in the lowest fixture after heavy rain Sewer smell from a room nobody uses Hose bib with no vacuum breaker Stain on the ceiling directly under a bath Laundry standpipe overflows on the spin cycle

Homes built roughly 1940 to 1980

Copper supply, aging cast iron stacks, 60 to 100 amp panels, first-generation central air.

All plumbing in homes built 1940 to 1980

Pinhole leaks in copper, more than one Sewer line collapsed and the house is 1945–1972 Cast iron stack weeping at the joints Angle stop under the sink will not close Water heater rusting at the base in an attached garage Copper at the meter, galvanised behind the wall Rubber washing machine hoses Pressure over 80 psi at the hose bib Floor drain backing up in the utility room

Homes built roughly 1980 to 2000

Polybutylene and aluminum wiring, 150 amp panels, R-22 systems.

All plumbing in homes built 1980 to 2000

Gray plastic supply line, leaking at the fitting not the pipe Warm patch on the slab, water bill up, nothing visible Water heater is the second one and it is over ten One fixture slow, the rest fine Toilet runs intermittently with nobody near it Regulator original to the house Sillcock split after a hard freeze Dishwasher draining back into the sink Drain leak under the slab, PVC not copper

Homes built since 2000

PEX on slab, 200 amp service, builder-grade equipment failing street by street.

All plumbing in homes built since 2000

Warm spot on the floor in a house under twenty-five years old Fixtures failing across the house in the same year Tankless unit throwing an error and short-cycling No hot water but the burner is firing Water hammer when an appliance shuts off Cannot isolate one bathroom without shutting the house Hot water instantly, and a high gas bill Expansion tank at the water heater feels heavy Toilet refills with a bang rather than a hiss

2Checks to run first

Work through these in order before you book anyone. They cost little or nothing and often find the answer.

Find and test the main shutoffKnow where it is before you need it. If it will not turn, that is the first thing to get fixed.
Measure the water pressureA screw-on gauge at an outside hose bib reads static pressure. Healthy is roughly 45 to 80 psi.
One fixture or the whole house?One slow tap or drain is usually a local fix. Every fixture at once points upstream: the supply pipe, the regulator or the main drain.
Read the meter with everything offIf the meter still moves with every tap and appliance off, water is going somewhere you cannot see.

3What plumbing work costs

The short answerAccess drives the number more than materials do. Every problem page gives a range for judging a quote, and the cost guide lists the plumbing work you should not be paying for at all.

Read Plumbing cost: what to expect and what to skip before you compare quotes. A quote that cannot explain what it includes, or that fixes the visible symptom while leaving the cause behind, is the one to question.

4When to call a plumber

Read the page for your problem first. It says whether this is a job for a pro, and what a fair price looks like before you make the call.

Speak to a local plumber

Calls connect to an independent local contractor. How this works.

5Questions

How do I know if a plumbing problem is urgent?

Water you cannot stop, sewage inside, water near electrics or a burst pipe are urgent. Slow drains, low pressure and a dripping fixture are not, and are worth planning and pricing properly.

Why does the age of my house matter for plumbing?

Supply and drain materials changed by decade: galvanized steel and cast iron before the war, copper after it, polybutylene in the 1980s and 90s, PEX since. The era narrows the likely cause before you check anything.

Should I repair or repipe?

One leak on otherwise sound pipe is a repair. Repeated leaks on the same material, rust in the water or pressure falling across the house usually mean the pipe itself is the problem, and patching moves the failure rather than removing it.

Which plumbing jobs can I do myself?

Aerators, supply stops, toilet flappers and fill valves, and washing machine hoses are usually ten-minute jobs. Gas lines, sewer lines and anything inside a wall or under a slab need a licensed plumber.

Written by Jaylan Jones. iLikeTo Fix earns a referral fee when a call connects to a contractor. See our business-model disclosure.

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