Gainesville Plumbing Blog
Practical answers to the plumbing questions Gainesville and Alachua County homeowners actually ask, written around local water, ground and housing.
Latest guides
Why Is My GRU Water Bill So High?
High GRU water bill in Gainesville? How wastewater billing, irrigation, rate changes and hidden leaks raise it, and a 10-minute meter test to find out which.
Signs of a Slab Leak in a Gainesville Home
Warm floors, a spinning meter or hissing at night? Signs of a slab leak in Gainesville homes, why older slabs are at risk, and what to do first.
How Long Do Water Heaters Last in Gainesville?
How long a water heater lasts on Gainesville's hard water, how to read its age from the label, and the maintenance that adds years to tank and tankless units.
How Much Does It Cost to Repipe a House in Gainesville?
What a whole-house repipe costs in Gainesville, FL, what moves the price, PEX vs copper, permits, and how historic and slab homes change the job.
Do You Need a Water Softener in Gainesville?
Gainesville water is about 8.2 grains hard even after GRU's treatment. Who benefits from a water softener, who can skip one, and what to know before buying.
How to Protect Pipes From Freezing in Gainesville
When Gainesville pipes are really at risk of freezing, which ones freeze first in Florida homes, and what to do before and after a hard freeze.
Buying an Older Gainesville Home? A Plumbing Checklist
Buying in the Duckpond, Pleasant Street or University Heights? What to check in an older Gainesville home's plumbing before closing, and which questions to ask.
Who Pays for Plumbing Repairs in a Florida Rental?
Renting in Gainesville? What Florida law says about landlord and tenant plumbing duties, what a lease can change, and what to do when something breaks at night.
Septic vs. Sewer in Alachua County: What Homeowners Should Know
Septic or sewer in Alachua County? How to tell which you have, what each costs to maintain, and what the High Springs and Newberry projects mean.
Tree Roots in Your Sewer Line: Signs and Fixes
Recurring clogs under big oaks? How tree roots get into Gainesville sewer lines, the signs, and when cutting, jetting, lining or replacement is the right fix.
Well Water Problems in Rural Alachua County
Hard water, orange stains, a rotten-egg smell or low pressure from your well? Common well problems in rural Alachua County and how to fix them.
Hurricane Season Plumbing Prep for Gainesville Homes
Hurricane season plumbing prep for Gainesville homes: sewer backups near the creeks, wells and septic after flooding, and flooded water heaters.
Tankless vs. Tank Water Heaters in Gainesville
Tankless or tank water heater for a Gainesville home? How GRU's hard water, gas, space and household size change the answer, plus heat pumps.
Low Water Pressure in a Gainesville Home: Causes and Fixes
Weak showers and slow faucets in a Gainesville home? How to tell if low water pressure is one fixture, the whole house, the utility or your pipes.
How to Find Your Main Water Shutoff Valve
Where the main water shutoff usually is in Gainesville and Florida slab homes, how to close it safely in an emergency, and what to do if it's stuck or missing.
Sinkhole or Slab Leak? Telling Them Apart in Gainesville
New cracks in a Gainesville home? How to tell a slab leak from sinkhole activity on local karst, what to check first, and how Florida insurance treats each.
What this blog covers
Most plumbing advice online is written for everywhere, which means it fits nowhere in particular. These guides are written for Gainesville: water from the Floridan aquifer at about 8.2 grains of hardness, sand over shallow limestone on the west side, clay to the east, pre-war pipe in the historic districts, and wells and septic tanks across the rural county.
You'll find guides on reading a high GRU bill, spotting a slab leak, choosing a water heater, preparing pipes for a hard freeze, buying an older home, and living with a well or a septic system. Each one ends with what you can do yourself and when it's time to call.
How these guides are written
Every local fact in these guides comes from a public source, such as GRU's water quality reports, the city and county utilities, state agencies or published building codes, and the source is named in the post.
We don't invent statistics, customer stories or quotes. Where a number varies from house to house, like the cost of a repair, the guide explains what moves it rather than guessing a figure. Each guide also separates what a homeowner can safely do from the jobs that need a licensed plumber.
Guides are grouped by topic: water bills and leaks, slabs and older homes, water heaters and hard water, drains and sewer lines, and wells and septic systems for homes outside the city. Pick the one closest to what you're dealing with.
Need help now instead?
If something is leaking or backing up, skip the reading. Our plumbing services page lists every service, and the phone is answered 24/7.
According to the sources named in each guide, including GRU reports and the Florida Building Code, Plumbing (IPC-based).
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