Plumbing questions, answered.

Yes. Flash Plumbing Inc. is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays. Call (626) 360-8993 any time and a real person will answer.

A plumbing emergency is anything that's actively causing damage or a safety risk: a burst or leaking pipe, sewage backing up into the house, no water, a water heater leaking from the tank, or the smell of gas. If you're not sure, call and we'll tell you honestly whether it can wait.

For a water leak, turn off the main shutoff valve (often near the front hose bib or where the line enters the house) and switch off power to any wet electrical areas. For a sewer backup, stop running water and flushing toilets. For a gas smell, leave the house, don't flip switches, and call the gas company and then us from outside.

Flash Plumbing Inc. quotes every job upfront before work starts, so you'll know the full price, including any after-hours cost, before you say yes.

Snaking (cabling) pushes a rotating cable through the clog to open a path, which works well for simple blockages. Hydro jetting uses high-pressure water to scour the whole pipe wall, removing grease, scale and roots, so it's the better fix for recurring clogs. Many jobs start with a camera to decide which one the line needs.

A drain that clogs again and again usually has buildup along the pipe walls (grease, soap or scale), roots getting into the sewer line, or a sag or break in the pipe. A camera inspection shows which one it is, so you can fix the cause instead of clearing the same clog every few months.

Trenchless sewer repair fixes or replaces a sewer line through small access points instead of digging a trench along the whole pipe. Common methods are pipe lining and pipe bursting. Flash Plumbing Inc. offers trenchless sewer repair and replacement across the San Gabriel Valley.

Common signs of a broken sewer line are repeated backups in the lowest drains, gurgling toilets, a sewer smell outside, and soggy or unusually green patches in the yard. A sewer camera inspection confirms where and how badly the line is damaged.

Yes. Roots are drawn to the moisture in sewer lines and work their way into small cracks and joints, especially in older clay and cast iron pipe, then grow into a clog. Hydro jetting clears them, and repairing or lining the pipe keeps them from coming back.

Plumbers find hidden leaks with non-invasive tools such as acoustic listening equipment, thermal imaging and pressure testing, which narrow the leak to a small area before anything is opened up.

A slab leak is a leak in a water line running under a home's concrete foundation. Signs include warm spots on the floor, the sound of running water, cracks in flooring and a higher water bill. It can be fixed by repairing the line under the slab or rerouting it through walls or the attic.

If you smell gas, leave the house right away, don't use light switches or anything that could spark, and call the gas company from outside. Once it's safe, Flash Plumbing Inc. can find and repair the leak. This is general safety information.