A Comprehensive Guide to Typical Plumbing Issues: Insights
A Comprehensive Guide to Typical Plumbing Issues: Insights
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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
Doing the repair work yourselves on these simple plumbing troubles can save you heaps of money. As a house owner, you will certainly experience numerous different plumbing troubles that occasionally make a nuisance.
Low Tide Pressure
Is a person from your household grumbling that there's low tide pressure from the sink? Inspect if this issue influences both the hot as well as chilly water lines. If indeed, then the problem is the aerator within the sink which may have a great deal of sedimentation causing low water stress. This is extremely easy to repair as you simply require to take it out and also scrub away the natural resource.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running commode, which can be quite irritating since the tank won't fill out. At the same time, leaving it alone relates to drainage as well as surging up your water bills. For beginners, find out what's triggering it to run. You may need to change any one of the following commode devices:
Toilet fill valve
Leaking flush valve
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This aggravating trouble is additionally high on the list of usual plumbing issues. Your device will certainly come with a nifty secret to unjam your device. If you shed it, you will certainly need an Allen wrench to take care of the issue. You have to go under the sink as well as try to find the spot where you can put the key. When you detect it, utilize your wrench to transform the maker to free the electric motor. Don't fail to remember to turn off the system and also cut the breaker when working with your garbage disposal system to prevent unpleasant mishaps.
Slow Draining Sink
This is one of the most usual issue of property owners, with the sink gathering a lot of hair, grease, particles, and other gunk gradually. The only way to obtain a smooth streaming drainpipe once more is to remove the debris. You can utilize a plumbing device for fishing out the particles. From there, you can use a store-bought drainpipe cleaner to cleanse the lines.
Slow-moving Tub Drain
Just like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap residue, dead skin cells, and other cruds swimming pool in the drainpipe frequently. After utilizing the claw, you can put drain cleaner to refresh the drain lines.
You can constantly call in a plumber to obtain specialist assistance if all of these audio tedious for you. Looking for specialist help suggests conserving effort and time. You might also end up saving money in the long run because you can feel confident that your easy plumbing problem will certainly not escalate. Since you will certainly be welcoming strangers in your house, simply make sure you call a reputable firm with accreditations and also licenses. Naturally, you have to make certain that you deal with someone you can trust.
Some plumbing problems are extra usual and can be easily repaired. Doing the repairs yourselves on these straightforward plumbing problems can save you heaps of cash. As a house owner, you will encounter numerous different plumbing issues that occasionally make a nuisance. You can make use of a plumbing device for angling out the particles. You may even end up conserving money in the long run because you can rest guaranteed that your straightforward plumbing problem will not intensify.
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