Addressing Typical Plumbing Problems: A Practical Approach
Addressing Typical Plumbing Problems: A Practical Approach
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.
Just How to Fix Common Household Plumbing Issues
Some plumbing issues are much more usual and can be conveniently repaired. Doing the repairs yourselves on these basic plumbing problems can save you tons of cash. As a homeowner, you will certainly experience several plumbing issues that occasionally make a nuisance. Have a look at 5 of one of the most typical ones listed below:
Low Tide Pressure
Is somebody from your house complaining that there's reduced water pressure from the sink? If yes, then the issue is the aerator within the sink which may have a lot of sedimentation resulting in low water stress.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running bathroom, which can be fairly annoying since the container won't fill. At the same time, leaving it alone corresponds to wasting water and also increasing up your water expenses. For starters, identify what's triggering it to run. You may require to change any one of the adhering to toilet systems:
Commode fill valve
Leaking flush valve
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This annoying issue is additionally high on the listing of common plumbing issues. If you shed it, you will need an Allen wrench to deal with the problem. You have to go under the sink and also look for the area where you can place the key.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most common complaint of property owners, with the sink accumulating a lot of hair, oil, debris, as well as various other gunk gradually. The only way to get a smooth flowing drain once again is to get rid of the debris. 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 Tub Drain
Just like the sink drain, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and other cruds pool in the drain often. After utilizing the claw, you can pour drain cleaner to revitalize the drain lines.
You can always call in a plumber to get specialist support if all of these audio laborious for you. Looking for professional assistance indicates saving time and effort. You might also wind up conserving money over time because you can feel confident that your basic plumbing problem will certainly not intensify. Simply make sure you call a respectable firm with licenses as well as qualifications since you will be welcoming unfamiliar people in your home. Of course, you have to see to it that you work with somebody you can rely on.
Some plumbing problems are much more typical and also can be conveniently repaired. Doing the repair work yourselves on these easy plumbing problems can save you loads of money. As a homeowner, you will certainly come across lots of various plumbing problems that occasionally make a problem. You can use a plumbing tool for angling out the debris. You may also end up saving cash in the long run since you can rest ensured that your simple plumbing trouble will certainly not intensify.
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