Resolving Typical Plumbing Challenges: Best Practices
Resolving Typical Plumbing Challenges: Best Practices
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 repair work yourselves on these basic plumbing problems can save you loads of money. As a home owner, you will certainly run into numerous different plumbing troubles that periodically make a nuisance.
Low Water Pressure
Is somebody from your household grumbling that there's low water pressure from the sink? If yes, then the trouble is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in reduced water stress.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running toilet, which can be rather frustrating due to the fact that the container won't load up. At the exact same time, leaving it alone corresponds to losing water as well as surging up your water expenses.
Commode fill shutoff
Dripping flush shutoff
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This aggravating issue is likewise high up on the listing of common plumbing issues. Your device will come with a great secret to unjam your equipment. If you shed it, you will require an Allen wrench to repair the problem. You have to go under the sink and search for the place where you can put the secret. Use your wrench to transform the device to free the motor once you spot it. Do not forget to shut off the system as well as reduced the breaker when dealing with your waste disposal unit system to stop horrible crashes.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most typical complaint of house owners, with the sink collecting a great deal of hair, oil, debris, and also other crud over time. Sadly, the only means to get a smooth streaming drainpipe once again is to clear the particles. First, you can use a plumbing tool for angling out the debris. From there, you can use a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to clean the lines.
Slow-moving Tub Drain
This is an additional pesky annoyance because the tub is one of one of the most previously owned fixtures in your restroom. Just like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and also various other gunk pool in the drainpipe commonly. You need to pop open the drainpipe cover as well as use a bathtub claw to clear the particles. Do this ASAP before the drain congests entirely. After making use of the claw, you can put drain cleaner to refresh the drainpipe lines.
You might even finish up conserving cash in the long run due to the fact that you can relax assured that your basic plumbing problem will certainly not rise. Just make certain you call a reputable company with licenses and accreditations because you will be welcoming complete strangers in your house.
Some plumbing concerns are more usual and also can be quickly taken care of. Doing the repair work yourselves on these basic plumbing troubles can conserve you heaps of cash. As a house owner, you will certainly run into lots of different plumbing problems that sometimes make a hassle. You can make use of a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You may even end up conserving money in the long run since you can rest assured that your easy plumbing trouble will certainly not escalate.
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