Gas & Water Leaks


WATER LEAK NIGHTMARES

Save money by reporting running toilets and other plumbing leaks to our office immediately.  REPORT A LEAK NOW>

A running toilet can increase your water bill from $100 to $400 in a single month. Moreover, New Orleans S&WB often does not actually read the water meter but estimates your water consumption. It may be 2 or 3 months before they actually read the meter and that’s when the nightmare begins with a $800 or $900 water bill. Only you can prevent this from happening. Here are several important tips:

  1. A sticky toilet handle will cause the flapper to stay open and the toilet will run until you shake the handle.
  2. A broken or hard flapper will leak and you will hear the toilet hissing or running.
  3. The water supply filler mechanism (fluid master) can malfunction and run constantly or intermittently.

Late at night when all is quiet, you can hear water pipes leaking water if you listen.

Outside the apartment, keep your eyes open for water bubbling out of the ground by the water meter or ground that always is wet.


 

What To Do When You Smell Natural Gas?

There are two general types of natural gas smells, faint and strong. Almost all gas smells are faint and result from stove or oven pilot lights not being lit. Sometimes a bath wall heater’s on/off valve leaks a small amount of gas. The same is true for house wall heater valves and gas lines to space heaters. When the gas smell is faint, you will find yourself sniffing around the house trying to locate the source.

Residents are responsible for relighting their pilot lights.

Before reporting a gas leak to our office, please check your stove and oven’s pilot lights and make certain they are lit. Also, wall and bath heater gas valves may have been inadvertently bumped and be slightly cracked open. Sometimes, when the house has been empty all day, a small gas leak will be at its strongest when you arrive home. Open the doors and allow a little fresh air inside. After about 10 minutes close the doors and you will be able to check all your pilots and determine the possible source of the gas smell. If you have attempted to relight your pilot lights and they won’t stay lit, call 504-866-6060 or send a work order here>. Strong gas smells should be reported to our office immediately by calling 504-866-6060, 24/7.

We included 3 videos that show you how to light your pilot lights for natural gas stoves and water heaters.



How to light your water heater that has a spark ignitor, no matches required.


How to light your water heater that requires matches.


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