How to Efficiently Fix Common Plumbing Problems: Essential Tips
How to Efficiently Fix Common Plumbing Problems: Essential Tips
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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
Some plumbing problems are more common and also can be easily taken care of. Doing the repairs yourselves on these simple plumbing problems can save you lots of cash. As a home owner, you will experience many different plumbing troubles that sometimes make a nuisance. Take a look at 5 of the most common ones below:
Low Tide Pressure
Is someone from your family grumbling that there's low water pressure from the sink? First, inspect if this issue affects both the cold and hot water lines. The trouble is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in reduced water pressure if indeed. This is really simple to repair as you just need to take it out as well as scrub away the natural resource.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running toilet, which can be rather annoying since the storage tank will not fill up. At the exact same time, leaving it alone relates to losing water as well as spiking up your water bills.
Commode fill valve
Leaking flush shutoff
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This aggravating trouble is additionally high on the list of usual plumbing concerns. If you shed it, you will need an Allen wrench to fix the trouble. You have to go under the sink as well as look for the spot where you can place the trick.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most common complaint of property owners, with the sink gathering a great deal of hair, oil, particles, and other substance gradually. However, the only means to obtain a smooth streaming drain once more is to clear the particles. First, you can make use of a plumbing device for angling out the particles. From there, you can utilize a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to clean the lines.
Sluggish Tub Drain
This is another pesky problem because the tub is just one of the most used fixtures in your restroom. Much like the sink drain, hair, soap scum, dead skin cells, and also other gunk swimming pool in the drainpipe frequently. You must pop open the drainpipe cover and also use a tub claw to clear the particles. Do this ASAP before the drainpipe congests completely. After using the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to rejuvenate the drainpipe lines.
You may also finish up conserving cash in the lengthy run due to the fact that you can relax guaranteed that your easy plumbing issue will certainly not escalate. Just make certain you call a credible company with licenses as well as accreditations due to the fact that you will be welcoming strangers in your residence.
Some plumbing problems are a lot more common and can be conveniently taken care of. Doing the repair work yourselves on these straightforward plumbing issues can conserve you heaps of money. As a home owner, you will certainly run into several various plumbing troubles that periodically make a problem. You can utilize a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You might even end up saving cash in the long run due to the fact that you can rest guaranteed that your simple plumbing problem will not intensify.
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