Handling Common Plumbing Issues: Expert Advice
Handling Common Plumbing Issues: 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.
5 Typical Household Plumbing Issues and also How You Can Fix Them
As a homeowner, you will certainly encounter many different plumbing problems that periodically make an annoyance. Some plumbing issues are more usual as well as can be quickly repaired. Doing the repair work yourselves on these easy plumbing problems can conserve you lots of money. Take a look at 5 of one of the most common ones below:
Slow Draining Sink
You can utilize a plumbing device for fishing out the particles. From there, you can make use of a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Sluggish Tub Drain
This is another pesky nuisance given that the bathtub is among the most pre-owned components in your bathroom. Similar to the sink drain, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and also other gunk swimming pool in the drain often. You must pop open the drain cover as well as make use of a bathtub claw to get rid of the debris. Do this ASAP before the drainpipe blocks entirely. After utilizing the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to refresh the drain lines.
Low Tide Pressure
Is someone from your home whining that there's low tide stress from the sink? Examine if this problem impacts both the hot as well as chilly water lines. If of course, then the issue is the aerator within the sink which might have a great deal of sedimentation causing low water pressure. This is really easy to fix as you simply need to take it out and scrub away the mineral deposits.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running toilet, which can be rather annoying because the tank will not fill up. At the very same time, leaving it alone equates to wasting water as well as spiking up your water costs.
Bathroom fill shutoff
Leaking flush shutoff
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This irritating issue is additionally high on the listing of typical plumbing issues. If you lose it, you will certainly require an Allen wrench to fix the issue. You have to go under the sink and also look for the spot where you can place the key.
You may even end up conserving money in the long run because you can rest guaranteed that your straightforward plumbing trouble will not rise. Just make certain you call a reputable firm with licenses and qualifications since you will certainly be welcoming unfamiliar people in your residence.
As a home owner, you will certainly experience numerous different plumbing problems that occasionally make a nuisance. Some plumbing concerns are extra usual and also can be quickly repaired. Doing the repair work yourselves on these simple plumbing troubles can save you loads of cash. You can make use of a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You may also end up conserving money in the lengthy run since you can rest ensured that your basic plumbing problem will certainly not intensify.
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