Plumbing Services in Doraville, GA

Alpha Plumbing and Sewer handles plumbing services in Doraville for everything from dripping faucets to sewer backups. The office cannot see your house, so what you tell it, and what you have already ruled out, shapes how the visit goes. None of the checks worth doing beforehand need more than a flashlight and a phone camera.

Find your shutoffs before you need them

Every fixture should have its own small valve: under each sink, behind each toilet, and on the hot and cold lines feeding the washer and water heater. The main shutoff for the house is usually where the water line enters, often in a basement, crawlspace, garage or utility closet, and there may be another valve at the meter. Try each one gently. A valve that will not turn, or leaks when it does, is worth replacing through faucet and valve repair before an emergency puts it to the test. If water is already spreading, close the nearest working valve and call emergency plumbing.

Run a two-minute meter test

Turn off every faucet and appliance that uses water, make sure the ice maker and irrigation are not running, then look at the water meter. Most have a small dial or triangle that spins when water moves. If it turns with everything off, water is going somewhere, whether a toilet leaking into its bowl, a pipe leaking under the slab or automatic use such as a softener or ice maker. Mention that result on the phone; it points the visit toward leak detection from the start.

Narrow down what the problem does

• Is it one fixture, one bathroom, or the whole house?
• Does it involve hot water only, cold only, or both?
• Does it happen all the time, or only when something else runs, like the washer or a shower upstairs?
• When did it start, and has anything changed recently, such as new fixtures, a remodel or a cold snap?

A slow sink alone is usually a drain repair. Water backing up in a tub when the washer drains suggests the main line, where a camera inspection is the next step.

Gather the details a plumber will ask for

Take a photo of the water heater's label, which shows the model, capacity and usually a date code. Note whether it is gas or electric so the right service is scheduled; gas units are covered by gas water heater service. Look at any exposed piping near the heater or under sinks: copper, white or cream plastic, colored PEX, gray galvanized steel or gray polybutylene each suggest different things. Galvanized and polybutylene in particular can make whole house repiping part of the conversation if leaks keep recurring. Photos of stains, drips or puddles help as well.

Clear the way

Empty the cabinet under the affected sink, clear a path to the water heater and any attic or crawlspace access, and find the outdoor sewer cleanout if there is a drain problem. Put pets somewhere secure. It sounds minor, but time spent moving boxes is time not spent on the repair.

Before you call: questions Doraville homeowners ask

Where is the main water shutoff usually found?

Most often it is close to where the water line enters the house: on a basement or crawlspace wall, in the garage, or in a utility closet near the water heater. The valve in the meter box at the street belongs to the water provider, so leave it to them. If you cannot find yours, ask the plumber to show you during the visit.

Should the water heater be turned off when the main water is shut off?

Follow the water heater manufacturer’s instructions when the supply is shut off. A closed supply does not relieve trapped pressure, and a heater must not operate without a full tank. If the water will be off for a while, or the tank might be drained, turn off an electric heater at a safely accessible dry breaker, or shut down a gas heater using its manufacturer’s instructions. A vacation setting may still heat the tank and is not suitable if the tank could drain. Heating elements can burn out quickly if they run in an empty tank.

Ready when you are

Once you have checked what you can, call Alpha at (404) 409-4448 and share what you found. Those notes give the visit a head start.