Understanding Typical Plumbing Issues: A Comprehensive Guide
Understanding Typical Plumbing Issues: A Comprehensive Guide
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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.
5 Typical Household Plumbing Issues as well as How You Can Fix Them
As a property owner, you will experience several plumbing issues that periodically make a hassle. Some plumbing concerns are much more common and can be easily fixed. Doing the repair work yourselves on these simple plumbing troubles can save you lots of money. Take a look at 5 of one of the most typical ones listed below:
Slow Draining Sink
This is the most common issue of house owners, with the sink gathering a lot of hair, oil, particles, as well as other gunk gradually. Sadly, the only means to obtain a smooth flowing drainpipe again is to get rid of the particles. First, you can make use of a plumbing device for fishing out the debris. From there, you can make use of a store-bought drain cleaner to clean the lines.
Slow Tub Drain
This is another pesky nuisance considering that the tub is just one of the most used components in your washroom. Much like the sink drainpipe, hair, soap scum, dead skin cells, and also other gunk pool in the drainpipe frequently. You must pop open the drainpipe cover as well as make use of a tub claw to remove the particles. Do this ASAP before the drain congests entirely. After making use of the claw, you can pour drainpipe cleaner to revitalize the drain lines.
Low Tide Pressure
Is a person from your home grumbling that there's low tide stress from the sink? Check if this concern affects both the cold and hot water lines. If indeed, then the trouble is the aerator within the sink which might have a great deal of sedimentation resulting in low tide pressure. This is very simple to fix as you simply need to take it out and scrub away the mineral deposits.
Running Toilet
You might have experienced a running toilet, which can be quite irritating due to the fact that the tank will not fill up. At the same time, leaving it alone relates to losing water and surging up your water costs.
Commode fill shutoff
Leaking flush valve
Bathroom flapper
Malfunctioning Garbage Disposal System
This frustrating trouble is likewise high on the listing of typical plumbing problems. If you lose it, you will certainly need an Allen wrench to repair the problem. You have to go under the sink and also look for the area where you can insert the secret.
You can constantly call in a plumber to get specialist support if all of these audio laborious for you. Looking for professional assistance indicates conserving time and effort. Since you can relax ensured that your straightforward plumbing problem will not escalate, you may even finish up conserving money in the long run. Just make sure you call a respectable firm with licenses as well as certifications due to the fact that you will rate strangers in your house. Obviously, you have to ensure that you deal with a person you can rely on.
As a property owner, you will experience many different plumbing troubles that sometimes make a problem. Some plumbing problems are much more common and can be conveniently dealt with. Doing the fixings yourselves on these straightforward plumbing troubles can save you bunches of cash. You can make use of a plumbing device for angling out the debris. You might even finish up conserving money in the long run since you can rest ensured that your easy plumbing problem will certainly not rise.
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