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 concerns are much more typical and also can be easily dealt with. Doing the repairs yourselves on these easy plumbing problems can save you tons of money. As a homeowner, you will run into several plumbing issues that occasionally make a problem. Have a look at 5 of the most common ones listed below:
Low Water Pressure
Is somebody from your family whining that there's low tide stress from the sink? First, check if this issue affects both the cold and hot water lines. If indeed, after that the issue is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in low tide stress. This is really simple to take care of as you simply require to take it out and scrub away the natural resource.
Running Toilet
You may have experienced a running commode, which can be fairly irritating because the tank will not load up. At the exact same time, leaving it alone equates to losing water as well as spiking up your water bills.
Commode fill shutoff
Leaking flush shutoff
Commode flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This annoying trouble is additionally high on the listing of usual plumbing issues. Your system will include an awesome secret to unjam your maker. Yet if you lose it, you will certainly need an Allen wrench to fix the trouble. You have to go under the sink and search for the place where you can insert the key. When you spot it, use your wrench to turn the machine to release the motor. Don't forget to switch off the system and reduced the circuit breaker when working with your garbage disposal system to stop unpleasant crashes.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most common complaint of house owners, with the sink gathering a great deal of hair, oil, particles, and other substance over time. The only method to obtain a smooth moving drainpipe once more is to clear the particles. You can make use of a plumbing tool for angling out the particles. From there, you can make use of a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to clean the lines.
Slow Tub Drain
This is another pesky annoyance given that the tub is among the most secondhand components in your shower room. Just like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, as well as various other gunk pool in the drainpipe typically. You have to stand out open the drainpipe cover and utilize a tub claw to remove the particles. Do this ASAP prior to the drainpipe congests totally. After making use of the claw, you can pour drain cleaner to rejuvenate the drainpipe lines.
You can always call in a plumber to obtain expert aid if all of these audio tiresome for you. Seeking professional aid means saving effort and time. Since you can rest ensured that your straightforward plumbing trouble will certainly not intensify, you may even finish up saving money in the long run. Because you will certainly be welcoming complete strangers in your house, just make certain you call a reputable company with licenses and qualifications. Naturally, you have to make sure that you work with somebody you can trust.
Some plumbing concerns are a lot more common as well as can be quickly fixed. Doing the repair services yourselves on these easy plumbing issues can conserve you loads of cash. As a property owner, you will certainly run into several different plumbing issues that sometimes make a hassle. You can utilize a plumbing tool for fishing out the particles. You might even finish up saving cash in the long run due to the fact that you can relax assured that your simple plumbing issue will certainly not rise.
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