Plumbing Glossary
Plumbing Terms, Defined.
The words plumbers throw around, in plain English. Whenever a term links to a service, you can tap through to learn what we actually do about it.
- Anode Rod
- A sacrificial metal rod inside a tank water heater that corrodes first so the tank doesn’t rust out. Replacing it on schedule adds years of life. Learn more →
- Auger / Drain Snake
- A flexible cable fed down a drain to break up or pull out a clog. The hand version handles sinks; powered augers clear main lines. Learn more →
- Backflow
- Unwanted reverse flow of water that can pull contaminants back into your clean supply. A backflow preventer stops it.
- CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe)
- A trenchless repair that slides a resin-soaked sleeve into an old pipe and hardens it into a smooth new pipe — no full dig. Learn more →
- Cleanout
- A capped, accessible fitting that lets a plumber reach your sewer line to clear blockages without tearing anything up.
- Flange
- A flat connecting collar — most often the toilet flange that seals and anchors your toilet to the floor drain. Learn more →
- Gas Line
- The piping that carries natural gas to your appliances. By law it must be installed, modified, and pressure-tested by a licensed pro. Learn more →
- Hard Water
- Water high in calcium and magnesium. It leaves scale on fixtures and builds up inside pipes and water heaters. Learn more →
- Hydro Jetting
- High-pressure water — up to about 4,000 PSI — that scours grease, scale, and tree roots out of a pipe, not just punches a hole through the clog. Learn more →
- Hydrostatic Test
- A pressure test that fills your system with water to reveal hidden leaks in pipes or the sewer line.
- Main Line / Sewer Main
- The primary line that carries all of your home’s wastewater out to the city sewer. A clog here can back up the whole house. Learn more →
- P-Trap
- The U-shaped pipe under sinks and tubs. It holds a little water that blocks sewer gas from drifting up into your home.
- PEX
- Flexible plastic pipe widely used in modern repipes. It resists corrosion, handles freezing better than copper, and installs fast. Learn more →
- Pressure Reducing Valve (PRV)
- A valve that lowers high incoming city water pressure to a safe level so it doesn’t hammer your pipes, fixtures, and appliances. Learn more →
- Repipe
- Replacing a home’s old or corroded water pipes — usually with copper or PEX — to stop leaks, rust, and low pressure for good. Learn more →
- Rooter
- A cutting tool (and the service named after it) that shreds tree roots and tough blockages out of drain and sewer lines. Learn more →
- Scale
- Hard mineral buildup from hard water that narrows pipes and clogs fixtures, valves, and water heaters over time. Learn more →
- Sediment
- Mineral grit that settles at the bottom of a water heater tank, lowering efficiency and causing that rumbling/popping sound. Learn more →
- Sewer Camera Inspection
- Running a waterproof video camera through your pipes to pinpoint exactly where a clog, crack, or root intrusion is — before anyone digs. Learn more →
- Sewer Ejector Pump
- A pump that lifts wastewater from fixtures below the sewer line (like a basement bathroom) up to the main line. Learn more →
- Shutoff Valve
- A valve that stops water to a single fixture or the whole house. Knowing where yours is the most useful thing in a leak emergency. Learn more →
- Slab Leak
- A leak in a water line running beneath your home’s concrete foundation. Often shows up as a warm floor spot or a spiking water bill. Learn more →
- Sump Pump
- A pump that removes water collecting in a basin to keep basements and low areas from flooding.
- Tankless Water Heater
- Heats water on demand as it flows, instead of keeping a tank hot 24/7. Saves space and energy and never “runs out.” Learn more →
- Trenchless
- Any method that repairs or replaces underground pipe with little or no digging — saving your yard, driveway, and time. Learn more →
- Water Hammer
- The banging noise in your walls when fast-moving water stops suddenly. Usually fixed with arrestors or by correcting high pressure.
