Common Plumbing Concerns: Insights into Frequent Issues
Common Plumbing Concerns: Insights into Frequent Issues
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
Doing the repair services yourselves on these easy plumbing problems can conserve you heaps of money. As a property owner, you will certainly run into numerous various plumbing problems that sometimes make a nuisance.
Low Water Pressure
Is someone from your household whining that there's low water pressure from the sink? If yes, then the problem is the aerator within the sink which might have a lot of sedimentation resulting in reduced water pressure.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running commode, which can be fairly annoying since the tank will not load up. At the very same time, leaving it alone relates to throwing away water and also surging up your water expenses.
Bathroom fill valve
Leaking flush shutoff
Toilet flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This annoying trouble is additionally high on the checklist of typical plumbing concerns. Your system will certainly come with a cool trick to unjam your machine. However if you lose it, you will need an Allen wrench to repair the problem. You have to go under the sink and also look for the area where you can place the secret. Use your wrench to transform the maker to free the motor when you detect it. When working on your rubbish disposal system to stop nasty crashes, don't fail to remember to turn off the system as well as cut the circuit breaker.
Slow Draining Sink
You can make use of a plumbing device 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 scum, dead skin cells, and various other substances pool in the drain usually. After making use of the claw, you can put drain cleaner to freshen the drain lines.
You may even finish up conserving cash in the long run since you can rest assured that your simple plumbing issue will certainly not escalate. Just make certain you call a reliable firm with licenses as well as accreditations since you will be inviting unfamiliar people in your residence.
Some plumbing concerns are extra usual and also can be conveniently fixed. Doing the repair services yourselves on these straightforward plumbing problems can save you tons of money. As a property owner, you will encounter many different plumbing issues that occasionally make a problem. You can use a plumbing device for fishing out the debris. You may also finish up conserving cash in the long run since you can rest assured that your easy plumbing trouble will not escalate.
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