Common Plumbing Issues: What to Expect
Common Plumbing Issues: What to Expect
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.
5 Typical Household Plumbing Issues and also How You Can Fix Them
As a homeowner, you will certainly experience many different plumbing issues that periodically make an annoyance. Some plumbing issues are a lot more usual and also can be quickly taken care of. Doing the repair services yourselves on these basic plumbing issues can conserve you lots of cash. Take a look at 5 of the most usual ones listed below:
Slow Draining Sink
You can use a plumbing tool for angling out the debris. From there, you can use a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Slow-moving Tub Drain
This is an additional pesky annoyance since the bathtub is just one of the most secondhand fixtures in your washroom. Much like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, as well as other cruds swimming pool in the drainpipe typically. You need to pop open the drainpipe cover and utilize a bathtub claw to clear the particles. Do this ASAP before the drain congests entirely. After utilizing the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to rejuvenate the drain lines.
Low Water Pressure
Is somebody from your family complaining that there's low water pressure from the sink? Initially, check if this issue influences both the cool as well as warm water lines. The issue is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in reduced water stress if indeed. This is extremely easy to fix as you just need to take it out and scrub away the mineral deposits.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running commode, which can be rather frustrating since the tank won't load up. At the exact same time, leaving it alone relates to losing water and also surging up your water expenses.
Toilet fill valve
Leaking flush shutoff
Commode flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This annoying trouble is also high up on the listing of usual plumbing concerns. Your device will certainly come with a cool key to unjam your equipment. If you lose it, you will need an Allen wrench to fix the problem. You need to go under the sink and also look for the area where you can insert the key. As soon as you detect it, use your wrench to turn the equipment to release the motor. When working on your waste disposal system to prevent horrible accidents, do not fail to remember to turn off the system as well as cut the circuit breaker.
You can constantly call in a plumber to obtain expert support if all of these sound tedious for you. Looking for professional help means conserving time and effort. Because you can rest ensured that your straightforward plumbing problem will not escalate, you might even end up conserving cash in the lengthy run. Because you will certainly be inviting unfamiliar people in your home, simply make certain you call a reliable firm with accreditations and licenses. Obviously, you have to ensure that you work with someone you can trust.
As a house owner, you will encounter lots of different plumbing problems that occasionally make an annoyance. Some plumbing concerns are a lot more common and can be quickly repaired. Doing the fixings yourselves on these simple plumbing problems can conserve you bunches of cash. You can use a plumbing tool for angling out the debris. You may even finish up saving cash in the lengthy run due to the fact that you can rest ensured that your basic plumbing trouble will not escalate.
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