Plumbing Services in Rex, GA

A leak that starts while someone is home gets noticed in minutes. The same leak in an empty house can run for days. Alpha Plumbing and Sewer provides plumbing services in Rex, and a little preparation before the house sits empty makes that kind of damage far less likely.

Before a trip of a week or more

• Decide about the main shutoff. Closing it is the simplest protection against a burst hose or supply line. If the home has a fire sprinkler system fed from the same supply, or an irrigation system that must keep running, ask how to isolate the indoor plumbing instead.
• Close appliance valves. At a minimum, shut the valves to the washing machine and the refrigerator's ice maker line, two of the most common sources of floods.
• Set the water heater to its vacation setting. Gas heaters usually have a vacation or pilot position on the control; electric heaters can be switched off at the breaker. If the main will be closed, the heater should not be left firing with no water coming in.
• Check the sump pump. Pour a bucket of water into the pit to make sure it starts, and confirm the discharge is clear.

Cold weather while you are away

Freezing nights are the biggest risk for an empty house. Keep the heat on at a moderate setting, open cabinet doors on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes, and disconnect garden hoses from outdoor spigots. Pipes in a crawlspace, garage or attic are the most exposed. If the water is staying on, those protections matter even more, because a split pipe will keep flowing until someone finds it.

What a house-sitter should look for

If someone is checking on the house, give them a short list. Look at the floor around the water heater, under the kitchen and bathroom sinks, and behind the toilets. Listen for a toilet that runs or a hiss behind a wall. Glance at ceilings below bathrooms for new stains. Make sure they know where the main shutoff is and have a number to call. If they find water spreading, Alpha's emergency plumbing line is answered 24/7.

Coming home and restarting the water

Open the main shutoff slowly and listen for running water before turning on any fixtures. Then open each faucet one at a time, hot and cold, until air stops sputtering out. Flush every toilet and check the base of each one. Look under each sink while the water runs. Restore the water heater last, once the tank is full, by returning the gas control to its normal setting or turning the breaker back on. If the floor near a fixture is damp or a ceiling has a new stain, leak detection can find the source before it spreads.

Houses left empty for months

A house that sits vacant during a sale or an estate settlement has its own problems. Water in seldom-used drain traps evaporates, letting sewer gas into the house; running each tap and pouring water into floor drains every few weeks refills them. Rubber flappers and washers can dry out and leak once water returns. Sediment settles in an idle water heater. Before listing a long-empty house, it is worth having the plumbing run and checked so surprises show up before a buyer's inspector finds them. Where a leak has already soaked flooring or drywall, water restoration handles drying after the repair.

Permits for repairs in Clayton County

Rex addresses fall in Clayton County, so check with the county about permits for your property; its building permit section issues plumbing permits for residential repairs and remodels. Under the county code, clearing a stoppage or fixing a leak needs no permit, but replacing a defective concealed drain, waste, vent or water pipe counts as new work that needs one, so a freeze-split pipe inside a wall can fall on either side of that line. New sewer connections need a separate building sewer permit from CCWA.

Questions about empty-house plumbing in Rex

Is a water leak sensor worth installing before a long trip?

For an empty house it can be. A battery sensor on the floor near the water heater, the washer or under a sink sounds an alarm when it gets wet, and models that connect to a phone send an alert wherever you are. Paired with an automatic shutoff valve on the main, it can stop a leak on its own, though it does not replace closing the main for a long absence.

Why does my house smell like sewage after being away?

The water seal in a drain trap evaporates when a fixture goes unused for a long time, opening a path for sewer gas. Run water into every sink, tub and shower, and pour some into floor drains, to refill the traps. If the smell continues after that, have the drain and vent system checked.

What should I do with an electric water heater when I travel?

For a long absence, switching it off at the breaker saves energy and removes the risk of the elements running in an empty tank if the water is shut off. When you return, open the main, run a hot faucet until water flows steadily so the tank is full, and only then turn the breaker back on.

Plan for the time away

Leaving soon, or looking after a house that has been empty? Alpha can go over the shutoffs and water heater with you before you go, or check the plumbing on your return; the number is (404) 409-4448.