How to Handle Common Plumbing Problems: Expert Advice
How to Handle Common Plumbing Problems: Expert Advice
Blog Article
What are the most common plumbing problems?
Clogs
Clogs are arguably the most common type of plumbing problem that homeowners run into. Drains clog all the time. Most of these clogs are pretty minor—you clear out a sink clog by running the disposal, or a toilet clog using the plunger.
But, many other clogs are much tougher to clear out. Some can even be a sign of a sewer line blockage—something that should never be taken lightly!
How to deal with clogs
This is how most homeowners approach a clog. They’ll try to clear it themselves and—should that approach fail—they’ll bring in a plumber.
After all, plumbers have access to specialized clog-clearing tools that most homeowners don’t have under their kitchen or bathroom sink. This includes a variety of snake tools, specialized plungers, augers, and more.
Should you use drain cleaning products?
When confronted with a clog, most homeowners are tempted to run out to the grocery store and grab a drain cleaning product. After all, this is typically cheaper than bringing in a plumber.
However, these drain cleaning chemicals don’t always work as well as they should. In many cases, they only partially clear the clog, which means you’re going to be dealing with a clog again very soon.
Plus, these harsh chemicals can be tough on your pipes. Repeated use can actually weaken and damage them.
Frozen Pipes
Throughout much of the United States—including here in Chicagoland—frozen pipes are a major problem in the winter.
All it takes is a particularly cold night and your heater going down for several hours (which are often related) for your home’s pipes to freeze. If your home has an electric furnace, a power outage could also lead to this problem.
What happens when pipes freeze?
For obvious reasons, pipes in exterior walls are at the greatest immediate risk. As the pipes freeze, the water inside of them expands.
If you’ve ever left a can of soda pop in the freezer overnight, you know what comes next: the expansion of water into ice puts immense pressure on the pipe.
Luckily, your home’s copper or PVC pipes are hardier than an aluminum can, but there’s only so much of this sustained pressure they can take. Your pipes are at risk of bursting at any time.
How should you thaw out frozen pipes?
Thawing these pipes out is trickier than you might think. Most homeowners instinctively reach for the hair dryer, but that can actually bring on a pipe burst, since rapidly heating the pipe’s surface may weaken it.
You’ll really want to bring in a plumber. We have specialized thawing tools designed to safely raise the temperature of the water inside of the pipe, defrosting it without damaging the pipe itself.
Leaks
Water leaks are a big deal—and a common problem. Whether they’re caused by frozen—and then burst—pipes, or just by aging pipes, water leaks can cause thousands of dollars in water damage to your home, relatively quickly.
For this reason, every leak—no matter how small it starts—needs to be treated like a major threat to your home.
Do you need leak detection?
Not all leaks start in convenient, easy-to-access places, either. Some leaks start behind walls, in ceilings, or underneath floors. Finding and accessing the leak actually might be the toughest part of the job.
This is where a professional plumber can really save you a lot of time, money, and headache. Using professional leak detection equipment—such as acoustic leak detectors—the plumber will pinpoint the location of the leak.
From there, they can make precision cuts into your drywall or slab to access and repair it.
Leaks and water damage
If you’ve got a leak, you’ve probably also got water damage and, potentially, mold growth. Once your plumber has fixed the leak, you’ll want to speak to a restoration and mold remediation specialist to make sure there’s no long-term, lingering damage to your home.
How to Fix Common Household Plumbing Issues
Doing the repairs yourselves on these easy plumbing problems can conserve you tons of money. As a home owner, you will encounter several different plumbing problems that sometimes make a hassle.
Low Tide Pressure
Is someone from your home whining that there's low tide pressure from the sink? Examine if this issue impacts both the warm as well as cold water lines. The trouble is the aerator within the sink which might have a lot of sedimentation resulting in reduced water pressure if yes. This is very easy to repair as you simply require to take it out and scrub away the mineral deposits.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running bathroom, which can be quite aggravating since the container will not fill up. At the same time, leaving it alone corresponds to squandering water as well as increasing up your water bills.
Bathroom fill shutoff
Dripping flush valve
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This irritating issue is also high on the checklist of common plumbing issues. Your unit will certainly include a nifty secret to unjam your maker. But if you lose it, you will certainly require an Allen wrench to take care of the trouble. You need to go under the sink and also look for the spot where you can place the secret. Once you identify it, utilize your wrench to transform the device to free the motor. Do not forget to shut off the system and also cut the circuit breaker when servicing your garbage disposal system to prevent unpleasant accidents.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most typical issue of home owners, with the sink accumulating a lot of hair, oil, particles, and also other crud over time. Sadly, the only way to get a smooth streaming drainpipe once again is to clear the particles. Initially, you can make use of a plumbing tool for fishing out the debris. From there, you can use a store-bought drain cleaner to clean the lines.
Sluggish Tub Drain
This is one more pesky nuisance because the tub is among one of the most previously owned components in your shower room. Similar to the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and also other cruds swimming pool in the drainpipe commonly. You must stand out open the drainpipe cover and also utilize a tub claw to get rid of the debris. Do this ASAP prior to the drain clogs up totally. After utilizing the claw, you can pour drain cleaner to revitalize the drain lines.
If all of these sound laborious for you, you can constantly call in a plumber to obtain specialist assistance. Looking for expert aid means saving time and effort. Due to the fact that you can rest ensured that your simple plumbing trouble will not rise, you may also end up conserving money in the lengthy run. Just ensure you call a reliable business with licenses and certifications since you will be welcoming strangers in your home. Certainly, you have to make sure that you deal with somebody you can trust.
Some plumbing concerns are much more common and can be quickly fixed. Doing the repair work yourselves on these simple plumbing troubles can save you bunches of cash. As a house owner, you will experience several various plumbing issues that occasionally make a nuisance. You can make use of a plumbing device for fishing out the particles. You may also finish up saving cash in the long run since you can relax guaranteed that your basic plumbing issue will not rise.
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