When pipes leak, bad things happen.

Water leaks can cause an unnecessary and drastic spike in your monthly water bill, forcing you to pay much, much more than you need to. Obviously, water leaking from pipes can also cause water damage and flooding if left unaddressed and unattended, costing you hundreds, possibly thousands, in repairs to your home.

For these reasons, it is imperative that every home owner understands how serious leaks can be and how to spot them. Unfortunately, finding the cause of a leak may be difficult to determine and fixing the issue may not be as simple as a patch job.

Here are a couple easy ways to spot a water leak. If you notice any of these issues accompanied by a mysteriously rising water bill , it’s time to call a plumber.

Showerhead and Faucet

Keeping an eye on your showerhead and faucets is perhaps the simplest way to identify a water leak.

When you turn off your faucet, water should stop flowing, right? Well, some drops for a moment or two isn’t necessarily an issue, but if long after you’ve turned it off there is still a constant stream or drops, it’s a good bet there’s a leak that needs fixing.

It may not seem like a lot of leaking water, but over time this can add up to gallons upon gallons of wasted water and will hike up you water bill sky-high.

Toilet

Toilets are maybe the hardest working and most active piece of plumbing in the average household. For that reason, toilets are another common place you will find leaks.

Even something as simple as a toilet tank with a flapper that doesn’t close can waste thousands of gallons of water in just a month. If you live in a home that uses a well, that leaky, wasteful toilet can cost you a boatload.

Fortunately, like faucets, toilet leaks can be fairly easily identified by the noise of running water. If you noticed having to jiggle the handle to stop the tank from filling or having to flush multiple times, it’s a good bet a visit from your plumber is in order.

Waterline

A leak in your main waterline , pipes behind walls, under floorboards and underground , can be the most difficult to identify, but the most dangerous to overlook. These kinds of leaks won’t just hike up your bill but have a greater chance of costing you even more in water damage repairs.

Early signs of water damage, water leaking from your walls, floorboards and even flooding or pooling in your yard are indicators, but unfortunately, it is usually harder to tell than that. The only way to know for sure is to call in a professional plumber to diagnose and fix the issue. Do-it-yourself pipe repair or replacement inside your walls or behind surfaces is strongly discouraged. You could end up doing more harm than good.

Pay attention to what your home is telling you. Keep a careful eye on your utility bills and water pressure each month and keep an ear open for any strange or out of place noises and you have a great chance at catching these kinds of leaks early.

Whether it’s your faucet, showerhead, toilet or something more major, your best, and first, course of action should be to call a plumber you trust, like Chapman Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing. We proudly serve all of Indianapolis and central Indiana and our experienced team of service technicians can help resolve any of your plumbing-related needs or issues.

It’s easy to take your water heater for granted. It’s easy until you wake up one morning to nothing but cold water hitting you in the shower. But by then it could be too late and time to replace your water heater.

Thankfully, there are a couple telltale signs you can keep an eye out for to help you determine if it’s time to replace your water heater before your rude awakening.

How old is your water heater?

Before you even start thinking of replacing your water heater, consider how old your current system is.

Your typical tank-type water heater generally can last you about 10 years. But, with proper care and maintenance you can extend or even double the life span of your system.

If your system is less than 10 years old and has been properly maintained, a total replacement may not be necessary. It could be simply solved with a checkup or repair.

However, if it’s past 10+ years, there could be more significant issues that require a replacement. Here are some signs to watch out for.

Loud, strange noises

Probably the most blatant sign that something is wrong with your water heater is something that you’ll hear rather than see.

If you start hearing loud, strange creaks, bangs or whines coming from your system, it’s time to call in backup.

Noises from your water heater could be a couple different reasons. It could possibly be sediment within your system making contact with heating elements, literally burning it away. Over time, this sediment is heated and reheated and can harden and cause damage to the interior.

Often a simple flush can resolve noise issues, but if they persist it’s a sign of a larger issue.

Leaking

If you begin to notice standing water around your water heater, it’s a sign there could be a leak or crack in your system.

If this is the case, there is no quick fix and you should call a professional right away! The faster you can have this issue resolved, the better. Letting an issue like this persist can lead to even more problems like flooding and water damage.

Cracks can be caused by age and repeated expansion and contraction of the tank brought on by heating and cooling and heating and cooling. However, make sure to check if the leak is coming from the tank or a pipe. This could be the difference between a quick, cheaper fix or an entire installation.

Rusty water from the tap

When any metal object gets older it can begin to rust. Water heaters are the same.

A sign of an aging water heater is rusty water coming from your tap. If the inside of your water heater is rusty, it will become apparent rather quickly.

However, don’t just jump to conclusions if you begin to experience a rusty tasting water. It could be an issue with your water softener. If you’ve concluded that is not the water softener, your next course of action should be to call someone to check the water heater.

If your water heater is getting up there in age or you’ve been experiencing any of these issues, it’s time to bring in a professional. Chapman Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing is your source for qualified water heater repair and plumbing installation contractors.

We can let you know if all you need is a simple repair or help you find the best and most efficient replacement for your home.

Chapman Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing is proud to keep homes cool all across Indianapolis and Central Indiana. Day in and day out you will see our trucks in residential neighborhoods Carmel, Fishers, Zionsville and Westfield too!

With a service fleet of 35 trucks it is easy for us to keep homeowners in Carmel comfortable all year long. Our trained technicians are ready to take care of all their air conditioning, heating and plumbing installation and repair service needs.

Here’s what some folks in the area had to say about us:

I am very impressed with the service I received, I had a furnace repair. I received a phone call that the technician was on his was 40 minutes prior to the four-hour window I was given for him to arrive; he arrived 10 minutes after that. He was polite and professional, and was able to quickly diagnose and repair my furnace and thoroughly explained and showed me what the issue was and what he did to fix it. , Rachel

I can’t thank Chapman Heating enough for getting their team together and helping me out of an HVAC jam just before the Thanksgiving holiday. They have an amazing group of people working for them who show respect for their clients and the business they represent. Chapman Heating and their loyal team will forever be the “Good Guys” in my book! , Julie

Chapman installed our new water heater and heating/air units. If you want excellent, fair, timely and clean service, call Chapman. You won’t be disappointed. I thought customer service was a thing of the past, but not at Chapman. They seem to really appreciate your business! , Connie

Chapman is excellent in service and installation work. We love our clean air system and the entire house is fresher. It has been several years since the installation and the Chapman team continues to impress my family with their service. The clean air system has eliminated allergies in our household. , Martha

Do you live in Carmel, or the Carmel-area, and need quality air conditioning repair, air conditioning installation, furnace installation, furnace repair, plumbing installation and plumbing repair? Call your friends at Chapman. Chapman | Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing is your source for qualified HVAC repair and installation contractors in Central Indiana.

Oh, and if you catch on of our trucks out and about be sure to take a snap shot and put it up on Facebook or just say ‘Hello’ to us!

More and more folks are hopping on the geothermal heat pump band wagon. And Chapman Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing couldn’t be happier!

For those of you that don’t know, geothermal systems use the natural insulating properties of the Earth as the means of keeping the inside of your home at a consistent temperature all year. Even with the dynamic changes in temperature with each season, geothermal heat pumps keep your home just right.

See, no matter how cold it gets or how hot it gets, the temperature below ground actually stays relatively consistent. Here’s how geothermal heat pumps take advantage.

When it’s cold

During the bitter cold winter months, a geothermal unit can be set to heating mode. Wires and conductors underground extract eat from the ground and pulls it into the main system to be distributed through ducts as warm air.

When it’s hot

In the hot, hot summer months, the unit can then be set to cooling mode. In a role reversal, the geothermal heat pump cools your home, not by bringing in cool air, but extracting the hot air from your home and either sending it back to the earth or using it to preheat water in your hot water tank.

So, know you know how it works; here’s why we love it as an alternative to traditional heating and cooling systems.

Reduces costs

Geothermal heating and cooling units operate at around 60% higher efficiency than its counterparts. They typically deliver 5 times the units of energy and, across all heating, cooling and hot water expenses, can potentially save owners up to 70% in energy costs.

That is a pretty good reason on its own! But, there’s more to it.

These systems also carry a longer life expectancy and require less general maintenance, saving you money in the long run as well.

Reduces Environmental Impact

Geothermal heat pumps are extraordinarily environmentally-friendly. Geothermal heat pumps do not emit any carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or any other pollutants on that long list of harmful pollutants. Harnessing the Earth’s heat means the pump is using a renewable and clean source of energy.

Better Overall Comfort

More than money or environmental impacts, geothermal heat pumps just make your home more comfortable. These systems are more precise in their distribution of hot and cold air. Due to design, the system also acts as a dehumidifier.

Geothermal heat pumps are also quieter than regular air conditioners or furnaces, giving you and your neighborhood better peace.

Better savings, better for the environment and better for your comfort. No matter how you look at it geothermal heat pumps are just better.

Chapman Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing carries a full line of geothermal heat pumps. Call us at 317-291-4909 to schedule an appointment with one of our excellent service technicians!

Chapman Heating | Air Conditioning | Plumbing is your source for qualified HVAC repair and installation contractors.