Solving Common Plumbing Challenges: Best Practices
Solving Common 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.
Exactly How to Fix Common Household Plumbing Issues
Doing the repair services yourselves on these straightforward plumbing problems can save you bunches of cash. As a homeowner, you will certainly encounter several different plumbing problems that occasionally make an annoyance.
Low Tide Pressure
Is a person from your family whining that there's low water stress from the sink? If of course, then the trouble is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in low water stress.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running toilet, which can be rather frustrating due to the fact that the container will not fill out. At the same time, leaving it alone relates to drainage as well as surging up your water expenses. For starters, find out what's creating it to run. You might require to change any one of the complying with commode systems:
Bathroom fill valve
Leaking flush valve
Toilet flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This irritating trouble is likewise high on the list of common plumbing concerns. If you shed it, you will certainly need an Allen wrench to deal with the problem. You have to go under the sink as well as look for the spot where you can put the secret.
Slow Draining Sink
You can make use of a plumbing tool for fishing out the debris. From there, you can utilize a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to clean the lines.
Sluggish Tub Drain
Simply like the sink drain, hair, soap scum, dead skin cells, and also other substances swimming pool in the drain typically. After utilizing the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to revitalize the drain lines.
If every one of these audio laborious for you, you can constantly call a plumber to get specialist assistance. Looking for expert help implies saving time and effort. Because you can rest guaranteed that your basic plumbing trouble will not escalate, you may even finish up saving money in the lengthy run. Since you will certainly be inviting strangers in your house, simply make sure you call a credible business with qualifications and licenses. Obviously, you have to ensure that you deal with someone you can rely on.
Some plumbing issues are more typical as well as can be easily repaired. Doing the repair work yourselves on these simple plumbing problems can save you tons of money. As a homeowner, you will encounter numerous various plumbing problems that sometimes make a problem. You can utilize a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You might also finish up conserving cash in the long run because you can relax guaranteed that your straightforward plumbing trouble will not escalate.
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