Water coming out of your backflow preventer usually means debris, a worn seal or check valve, a pressure change, a loose fitting, corrosion, or freeze damage. The exit point and duration tell you most: a brief relief-port discharge differs from a steady drip or a spray from a cracked body. Never plug or cap a
Why Is Water Coming Out of Your Backflow Preventer? Common Causes and What to Do Read More »
A backflow preventer is a device or air gap that stops water from flowing backward into your drinking-water supply. El Paso Water exempts single-family homes used only for residential purposes from its assembly requirement, but Texas rules require lawn sprinkler systems to connect through a backflow assembly, and other properties are evaluated individually. Key points:
What Is a Backflow Preventer and When Does a Home Need One? Read More »
To test water hardness at home, use hardness test strips for a quick range or a drop-count kit for a precise number – not a TDS meter, which can’t measure hardness. Sample cold, untreated water. El Paso Water’s published average is about 175 mg/L (10.2 grains per gallon), but only a test at your tap
White crust around faucets and showerheads is usually mineral scale – calcium and magnesium left behind after hard water dries on a surface. El Paso Water describes the local supply as moderately hard to hard, which makes this common citywide. But not every white mark is scale: soap residue, cleaner film, corrosion, or finish damage
Why Is There White Crust Around Faucets and Showerheads? Read More »
Hard Water Scale and corrosion are different problems with different repairs. Scale forms when minerals from hard water deposit on a pipe’s interior surface – it adds material and can narrow the usable opening. Corrosion is the pipe material itself deteriorating through chemical reaction – it removes or weakens metal and can lead to pitting
Hard Water Scale vs Pipe Corrosion: What Is the Difference? Read More »
Yes – hard water can reduce flow at a faucet when mineral scale narrows the aerator or another small passage inside the fixture. El Paso Water describes the local supply as moderately hard to hard, so this is a realistic local cause. But a weak stream doesn’t automatically mean hard water or low household pressure
Can Hard Water Cause Low Water Flow Through Faucets? Read More »
Before the plumber arrives: keep people away from sewage, gas, or wet electrical hazards; stop or isolate the water only if you can do it safely; and stop using the affected fixture rather than testing whether it’s cleared. The goal isn’t to repair anything yourself – it’s to keep the situation from getting worse and
What to Do During a Plumbing Emergency Before the Plumber Arrives Read More »
A plumbing problem is a true emergency when it’s actively spreading water damage, exposing your home to sewage, creating a safety hazard, or cutting off an essential service like your only water supply or usable toilet. Burst pipes, uncontrolled leaks, sewer backups, and sudden whole-home water loss usually can’t wait. A dripping faucet, one slow
El Paso Water describes the city’s supply as moderately hard to hard, and that calcium and magnesium content leaves mineral deposits – scale – wherever water sits, evaporates, or squeezes through a small opening. Aerators, showerheads, cartridges, and valves usually show it first, before it ever reaches a full pipe. Hard water rarely explains a
15 Ways Hard Water Can Affect Your Plumbing in El Paso Read More »
El Paso Water describes the city’s supply as moderately hard to hard, and when that water is heated, dissolved calcium and magnesium can separate out and form scale or sediment inside a water heater. Tank heaters usually collect sediment near the bottom or on heating elements; tankless units develop scale inside the heat exchanger. Left
