Home/FAQs
FAQs · Edgewater, FL
Edgewater Plumbing FAQs: Straight Answers on Leaks, Heaters, Drains and Permits
Short answers to the questions Edgewater homeowners and small business owners ask most, written so you can act on them before you call. Where we could not verify a local fact, the answer says so and tells you who to ask.
When water is already spreading
What should I do right away during a plumbing emergency in Edgewater?
Close the main water shutoff, usually at the front wall of the house, in the garage or beside the meter. Then open a faucet at the lowest point in the house to drain the lines and take pressure off the break. Turn off power to anything the water touches, and call. If you smell gas, leave the building and call 911 or the gas provider from outside. What a burst repair involves explains the repair that follows.
What should I do first when water is coming into the house?
Stop the source if you can, by closing the main shutoff. Lift rugs and small furniture off the wet floor, photograph the damage before you clean and keep power off at any wet outlet. If it is sewage, keep people and pets out and stop running water and flushing. Water removal and drying is its own service with its own phone number, shown on that page.
Can heavy rain affect my drains and sewer in Edgewater?
It can. Saturated ground around a yard drain, cleanout or buried line can slow drainage, and a backup after a storm that hits several fixtures at once points toward the main line. We could not find an Edgewater-specific rain pattern, so we do not claim one. If neighbors are backing up too, the problem may be the city's main, and the utility line is 386-424-2400, extension 4000. For a backup inside your own pipes, see storm-season sewer backups and clearing a clogged line.
Leaks, meters and the water bill
How do I tell if my water meter shows a leak?
Close every tap and stop the dishwasher and washer. Open the meter lid and look at the leak indicator, a small triangle or wheel. If it keeps moving with everything off, water is going somewhere. Then close the main shutoff and look again: if it stops, the leak is inside the house, and if it keeps moving, it is between the meter and the shutoff. The test cannot tell you where the leak is or find one too small to move the dial. The full meter test walks through it.
Why does my toilet run or refill on its own without being flushed?
A toilet that refills by itself, often called a phantom flush, is almost always a worn flapper letting water seep from the tank into the bowl, or a fill valve that does not shut off. To test it, add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait without flushing. If color shows in the bowl, the flapper is leaking. A running toilet can add to your water bill for weeks before anyone notices, so check the meter too. Toilet repair covers the other common causes.
Is a leak on my side of the meter or the city's side?
The meter test above tells you which side you are on. The City of Edgewater utility bills water, sewer, stormwater and garbage together and can be reached at 386-424-2400, extension 4000. We did not find a published rule that says exactly where the city's responsibility ends, so ask the utility before you pay for work on a line near the meter. City side or house side covers what to ask.
What are the signs of a hidden slab leak?
A bill that jumps with no change in habits, a warm spot on a floor, the sound of running water with everything off and a damp patch on flooring are the usual clues. Not every Edgewater home sits on a slab, and we could not verify how common slabs are here, so confirm what your house has before assuming. Slab leak warning signs lists the checks and the repair options.
How can I tell if my home has polybutylene pipe?
Polybutylene was used in homes built from about 1978 to 1995. It is usually gray or blue plastic, and the mark to look for is PB-2110, printed on the pipe near the water heater, the main shutoff and under sinks. Roughly 47 percent of Edgewater homes were built from 1980 to 1999, but we have not verified that any particular home has it. Checking for polybutylene explains what to do if you find it.
Water heaters, permits and who is allowed to do the work
How long does a water heater last, and when should I replace it?
There is no single number that fits every tank, and we would rather not quote one we cannot source. Look for the manufacture date on the data plate, listen for rumbling, and check for rust in the hot water or moisture at the base. A tank that leaks from the body is finished. A tank that only stopped heating may need a part. When a tank is finished and repairing an older heater help you decide.
Do I need a permit to replace a water heater in Edgewater?
The City of Edgewater's building permit fee schedule lists a water heater change out as a permit item. The copy we found is Resolution 2019-R-09 from 2019, and we could not find a newer one, so call the city on 386-424-2400 and ask Building and Permitting what applies now. Ask who pulls the permit and whether an inspection follows. We do not state a fee. Permit and quote questions lists what a quote should include.
How do I check a plumber's Florida license?
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation tells consumers to verify a contractor's license before hiring. You can check at myfloridalicense.com or by phone at 850-487-1395. A contractor who advertises must include a license number, so ask for it in writing. Do this for any plumber, including us. What happens when you call explains what to expect.
Drains, sewer lines and digging
How often should drains be professionally cleaned?
There is no calendar interval we can back with a source, so go by symptoms. A drain that clears and slows again within weeks, gurgling in more than one fixture, or a smell from a floor drain are signs the blockage was punched through and not removed. A single slow sink is usually a small job. How often to clean drains covers the signs, and jetting a repeat clog covers the heavier option.
Who do I call for a sewer backup, the city or a plumber?
If several fixtures back up together, call the City of Edgewater utility on 386-424-2400, extension 4000 and ask whether the main on your street has a problem, then call a plumber for your own line. We did not find a published rule on who owns the lateral between the house and the main, so ask the utility. A neighbor with the same symptom is a strong hint the cause is outside your property. Backup or broken line explains what a camera shows.
When is pipe lining better than digging up a sewer line?
Lining can make sense when a camera shows the pipe is damaged but still in one piece, such as cracks or roots, and the run is accessible from a cleanout. It does not suit a collapsed pipe or a bad low spot, and only a camera inspection can say which you have. When lining beats digging lists the conditions.
Do I need to call 811 before yard or sewer line work?
Yes, before anyone digs. Sunshine 811 says to notify it at least two full business days before you want to dig, and business days exclude weekends and state and national holidays. A plumber doing excavation normally handles this, but ask who is making the call. Lining a sewer lateral can reduce how much digging is needed.
Pipes, water quality and small businesses
Should I repair a leaking pipe again or repipe?
Patching is reasonable for one failed fitting on otherwise sound pipe. Repeated leaks in different places, pinholes that keep appearing or a known problem pipe such as polybutylene are the signs that replacement may cost less over time than another patch. We do not quote prices here. Repair or repipe decision sets out the four signs, and rerouting under-slab lines covers the slab case.
Does Edgewater water need a softener?
We cannot say. The City of Edgewater draws its water from 14 wells in the Floridan Aquifer and softens it before delivery, and its water quality report publishes no hardness number. Before you buy a softener or other treatment equipment, ask the utility on 386-424-2400, extension 4000 for the hardness figure. If someone tells you your water is very hard, ask for the number they measured.
Do you handle plumbing for small businesses in Edgewater?
Yes. Shops, offices and rental properties have clogs, leaks and water heater problems like any other building, with added questions about leases and shared lines. Plumbing for small businesses covers what we handle and what to ask.
Calling us and what it costs
What happens when I call?
You call (833) 571-0120 and describe the problem. We ask for your street address, what you can see and what you have already shut off. We tell you what we would check first, and if the address is outside what we can reach, we say so on the call. There is no form to fill in. Check your ZIP code to see where we work, and how to reach us has the number again.
How do plumbers price a repair, and why can't I get an exact number by phone?
Many jobs depend on what is found after the cause is located: how deep a line is, what material it is, how much has to be opened and whether a permit is involved. A phone description gets you a range of possibilities, not a fixed figure. Why quotes vary explains what moves a price, using wide ranges and no promises.
Not sure what the problem is? Call and tell us what you see
Call, tell us what you see and where, and we will say what we would check first.