Advice for Chapel Hill homeowners
The Chapel Hill Plumbing Blog
Straight, local answers to the plumbing questions Chapel Hill and Carrboro homeowners actually ask, written for this town's clay-and-slate ground, soft OWASA water and the hard freezes that catch unprotected pipes. No fluff, no scare tactics, just what to do.
Emergencies & leaks
- Water damage: the first 24 hours that decide the costThe difference between a dried-out floor and a torn-out one is usually decided in the first day. Here is what actually matters in those hours, for a Chapel Hill house.
- Your OWASA bill jumped and nothing looks wet: finding a hidden leakA hidden leak rarely announces itself with a puddle. It shows up on your bill, in your water meter, and in small clues around the house long before you see water.
- Slab leak or not? Reading the signs before you break concreteNot every home here is on a slab, but the ones that are can hide a leak under the concrete for months. Here is how to read the signs before the jackhammer comes out.
- Freeze-proofing your pipes before the next cold snapMild winters are exactly why Chapel Hill pipes burst, nobody prepares for the cold that does come. A little fall prep turns a potential flood into a non-event.
- Third pinhole leak this year? When to stop patching and repipeOne leak is bad luck. A pattern of them is your plumbing telling you something. Here is how to know when patching stops making sense and a repipe does.
Drains & sewers
- Why chemical drain cleaner is the worst thing for your drainsIt is the first thing most people reach for and one of the worst things for your pipes. Here is what chemical drain openers actually do, and what clears a clog for good.
- The kitchen drain problem: why grease wins and how to stop itThe kitchen is the drain that clogs, over and over, and the reason is almost always the same. Here is why grease wins and the simple habits that finally stop it.
- Hydro jetting vs. snaking: which your drain actually needsBoth clear a clogged drain, but they are not the same tool for the same job. Here is how to know which one your drain actually needs, and when neither is right.
- Trenchless vs. dig: how to think about a sewer line repairA failing sewer line does not always mean a trench across your yard. Here is what actually decides between trenchless repair and a full dig, on a Chapel Hill lot.
Water heaters
- Tank, heat-pump or tankless: choosing a water heaterIt is the most-searched plumbing job in town, and the choice is bigger than a like-for-like swap. Here is how to pick the right water heater for your Chapel Hill home.
- 6 signs your water heater is about to fail (and which are fixable)A water heater almost always warns you before it fails outright. Learn to read the six signs, and know which mean a cheap repair and which mean the tank is finished.
- Is a tankless water heater worth it here? An honest cost breakdownTankless promises endless hot water and lower bills. Here is the honest math for a Chapel Hill home, including the costs the sales pitch tends to skip.
- Own a boiler here? Why it's hard to service and what to doBoilers are uncommon in this part of North Carolina, which is exactly why owning one can be a headache. Here is how to keep yours serviced and running.
Fixtures & remodels
- The bathroom-remodel plumbing nobody warns you aboutThe tile and the vanity get all the attention. The plumbing behind the wall is what actually decides whether the remodel lasts, especially in an older Chapel Hill home.
- Repair or replace that dripping faucet? A homeowner's guideA drip is almost always fixable, until it is not. Here is how to tell whether your faucet wants a cheap repair or a full replacement, in a Chapel Hill home.
- Running, rocking, weak flush: a toilet troubleshooting guideToilets fail in a handful of recognizable ways, and each points to a different fix. Here is how to read yours before it becomes a subfloor problem.
- Humming, jammed or dead? Fix the disposal before you replace itA disposal that hums, trips or leaks is not always a dead disposal. Here is how to read the signs before you spend on a replacement you may not need.
Water quality
- Do you need a water softener here? Probably not, and here's whyMost water-softener advice is written to sell you a softener. Here is the honest version for Chapel Hill, where the town water is already soft.
- Tap water tastes off? It's the chloramine, and here's the fixIf your Chapel Hill tap water tastes or smells a little off, the cause is almost always the same, and it is not hardness. Here is what it is and how to fix it.
Wells, septic & sump
- On septic near Chapel Hill? A guide that saves your drain fieldThe drain field is the most expensive part of a septic system to replace, and the easiest to protect. Here is how to keep yours healthy for the long run.
- Does your home need a sump pump? Depends which side of townSump pumps are not one-size-fits-all here. Whether your home needs one depends a lot on which side of town you are on, and on your crawl space.
- No water from your well? A troubleshooting guideWhen a private well stops delivering, the cause is usually one of a few components. Here is how to think it through before you are left without water.
Compliance & commercial
- Got a backflow testing notice? What it means and what to doA backflow testing notice looks like bureaucratic mail, but ignoring it has real consequences. Here is what it means and the simple way to handle it.
- Keeping a Franklin Street kitchen open: commercial plumbing maintenanceFor a Chapel Hill restaurant, a plumbing failure is not an inconvenience, it is a closed kitchen. Here is the maintenance that keeps the doors open.
- Adding a gas range or tankless? Why the gas line comes firstThe exciting part is the new range or the endless hot water. The part that decides whether either works is the gas line feeding it. Here is why it comes first.
Chapel Hill, Carrboro & Orange County
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